


Fly With Me

by dosmilkshake



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fae, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Barebacking, First Time, M/M, Mild Gore, Minor Character Death, Rimming, Tent Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-12-18 23:46:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 50,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11885409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dosmilkshake/pseuds/dosmilkshake
Summary: Jongin needs an escape, but meeting a bunch of men with wings attached to their back is not what he was expecting.





	Fly With Me

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my beta who encouraged me to write what I wanted, and for being so darn kind. Your reassurance really touches me and encourages me to continue writing my favorite genre, fantasy. Thanks to KC for always being supportive and dealing with my overbearing ideas that I tried to give you without hinting too much. Lastly, to my readers, this is the Faery!au no one asked for, but was desperately needed in my opinion.

_**Prologue** _

Jongin busily searches for his black crayon. He checks his 36 crayon box, but he is out of luck. His black utensil is gone. He pouts in his seat while his partner beside him hums to a song doodling his family like the teacher had told them to do. His partner, Taeyang, turns and smiles gummily. “Look at my dad! He’s really tall!” He waves his picture in front of his face.

Jongin carefully looks at the scribbles and makes out long legs and a small head. “Wow, you did really good!” Jongin looks around Taeyang’s desk for a black crayon. He spots it making him grin. “Hey, can I borrow your black crayon?”

Taeyang glances at the colored wax in questioning and hands to Jongin with another smile. “Sure, what are ya drawing?” He peers of Jongin’s shoulder.

“A Faery,” Jongin says getting ready to draw the wings of a boy with a green shirt on and red pants.

“You can’t use my black crayon! I need it.” Taeyang exclaims suddenly. Jongin groans forgetting the manners his mother has taught him.

“You said I could use it! I only needed to draw the wings!” Jongin complains looking at his unfinished art work.

Taeyang scoots away from Jongin. “You’re supposed to draw a _family_ , Jongin. Faeries aren’t real.”

“We have a faery in our family! He watches over the house!” Jongin defends himself and his family.

“Have you ever seen a faery before? I bet you don’t even know what it looks like.” Taeyang crosses his arms smugly.

Jongin closes his mouth. He hasn’t seen the faery, but he knows it’s there. The soft flutter of wings at night and the lullaby he hears when he goes to bed tells him much so. His parents even told him of a story about King Arthur being crowned “King of the Faeries” and married Guinevere, a faery herself. It is one of his favorite bedtime stories. Faeries had to be real, and one day, he was going to be friends with one. He is determined that after hearing the story for the first time in his life.

“I know they exist. Can I please use your black crayon?” Jongin pleads with puppy dog eyes, which would’ve worked on his mother, but apparently Taeyang is cruel-hearted and doesn’t love Jongin enough.

“No. I’m not going to get in trouble by helping you not do what the teacher said. Just use your own crayons.”

Taeyang goes back to drawing his dad’s pants.

Jongin sticks a tongue out at Taeyang feeling silly but satisfied. He dug through his unorganized box and pulled out a silver crayon. _I guess this will have to do_ , Jongin thinks pressing the wax against his paper. He draws them expanding outwards like bat’s wings. He couldn’t have the wings look more breakable than girl faeries, so he imagines them strong and lean that can fight through a heavy gust of wind.

“There!” Jongin stretches after putting the final touch on the faery’s wings. He hops off his chair to show his teacher his drawing. With pride, he places the paper carefully in her hands.

“Who is this?” She asks pointing to the page.

“That’s my guardian! He’s a faery. He stays at my house, so I consider him part of my family.”

The teacher glances from Jongin to the sheet with a frown in her forehead. Her finger presses into her cheekbone as she lets out a heavy sigh. Jongin couldn’t figure out why she looks sad while holding his picture.

“Do you believe faeries are real, Jongin?” She asks after a moment.

Without hesitating, “Yes!”

She gets out of her seat with pressed lips and stands in front of the class, “Magical beings like ogres, trolls, faeries, and wizards do not exist. They are just imaginary creatures that bring more color to a story.”

The class nods respectfully to the teacher’s words, but Jongin clenches his fist trying not to cry.

A girl, he knew as Suzy, raises her hand. “How come people say they are real?”

“People wish that they were real. That doesn’t mean they are. People made up stories about them just to make life interesting.” The teacher answers and then ends the assignment by taking up everyone’s drawing. She turns to Jongin who has a quivering lip. “You can redo the picture at home.” She pats his head before throwing his picture of his faery with silver wings into the trash.

Jongin learns not to talk of faeries. Instead he went home and drew the picture of his mom and dad and his two sisters. His fascination with faeries soon disappears because he was afraid to be laughed at. The memory of that day is long forgotten in the back of his mind.

  
  


 

 

_**11 Years Later** _

Jongin cowers as Namjoon passes by with his raucous laughter that sends shivers up his victim's spine. His head sinks lower into his locker, keeping his face pressed between his Calculus book and Literature book. His back hunches, feeling the hairs on his neck stand up as the ominous cloud hanging over Namjoon’s group rolls closer. Jongin debates running away, but his dad has always said to stay in the crowd: don’t step out of bounds nor step in bounds; keep hidden on the edge.

But as great as advice his dad gives him, he still feels a hand grip the back of his collar as he is dragged into the boy’s bathroom. His eyes scrape the halls, looking for a savior, but like always there is none when Namjoon is involved. Jongin lets himself be flung into the wall as soon as the bathroom door shuts with a doleful thud. Jongin looks through his brown bangs as Namjoon adjusts his tie in the mirror before turning around to Jongin with a sly smirk.

“Where’s my homework?” Namjoon demands as his friends snicker at Jongin’s cowered figure.

Jongin doesn’t answer, earning a knee to his ribcage.

“I’m talking to you!”

Jongin cocks his head, one side of his lips raising a challenge. “Were you? I didn’t realize dogs could communicate with people.”

“What did you just call me?” Namjoon bends over, eye level to Jongin. “You’re going to regret that dips-”

“Teacher!” One of the boys standing outside the bathroom comes in with wide eyes. Jongin recognizes him as one of Namjoon’s multiple followers, Jimin, he thinks, he usually keeps quiet in Namjoon’s authority. Namjoon throws an annoyed glare at Jongin before stomping out of the bathroom. His friends follow suit without sparing a look back to Jongin.

He waits a minute before carefully straightening his back with a groan. He lifts his shirt, watching the mirror mimic his actions. A purple bruise is already forming against his tan skin from where Namjoon had kneed him. Other blue and yellow bruises decorate his skin like he has some skin disease. With a sigh, Jongin peaks his head out of the bathroom, feeling ridiculous, but you can never be too cautious. He goes back to his locker to grab his books before the tardy bell rang.

His first two classes pass by in a blur luckily, but Jongin dreads lunch after his second class the most. He shares lunch with Namjoon. And unfortunately for him, Namjoon won’t let him go easily as he did that morning. Jongin hurries to his favorite teacher’s class before Namjoon can realize his absence in the lunchroom. He lets out a relieved sigh as he enters the classroom. Mr. Yang was writing a passage from _The Coming of Arthur_ by Alfred Lord Tennyson:

_“And now the King, as here and there that war went swaying; but the Powers who walk the world made lightning and great thunders over him, And dazed all eyes, till Arthur by main might, And mightier of his hands with every blow, And leading all his knighthood threw the kings.”_

“I like that passage,” Jongin says making his presence known. He pulls out the teacher’s chair and sits down with relaxed posture. Arranging his lunch on the desk, he turns to Mr. Yang frowning at him. “What?”

“You’re getting crumbs on my desk,” Mr. Yang points out. Mr. Yang is one of those teachers who freak out over messes, but when it comes to them, they are the only ones that can make a mess. He is also the only person Jongin considers as the closest thing he has to a friend. Which is very pathetic, considering he is a Literature professor. He’s not even teaching something super cool like art or an eccentric teacher of a language.

Jongin takes a bite of his food chewing slowly. “You’re not even impressed I recognized what you’re writing?”

His teacher sighs before continuing to write. “I’m not surprised. You’ve said before how much you like the Arthurian era.”

Jongin smiles showing his food.

They stay in silence filled with the scratches of chalk on the board and Jongin’s slow chewing. The student thinks of how he is going to make it through the rest of the day. Namjoon never lets him go so easily. If he runs home after school, perhaps he could stay undamaged for more than five hours… His chances are thin. Namjoon lives five houses down from him, and some days he and his crew walk the streets as if they were watch dogs or they would stay at school for another hour for extracurricular activities. Hopefully, the latter.

“Jongin,” Mr. Yang suddenly says.

“Hmm?”

“Lunch is over with. You have classes.”

Jongin looks up to see students were starting to file into Mr. Yang’s classroom.

Jongin cleans up his mess, just to reassure his clean freak of a teacher, before leaving and hurrying to his next class. He barely follows along with the teacher as he traces wings onto his paper. The doodle looks slightly familiar to him, but he can’t recall where from. Lately, it’s been a trend to draw wings in the corners of his notes, but the reason puzzles Jongin as he draws another pair of wings.

“Mr. Kim Jongin, please read the next paragraph to us.” Jongin groans inwardly.

  
  


 

Jongin pokes his head from behind a pillar. He is almost out of the school safe and sound with no wild Namjoon sighting. Seeing that the area is clear, he makes a mad dash for it. He crouches as he runs along the sidewalk, hoping it will make him less noticeable. Jongin is twenty feet from his house when he hears it. Loud voices call his name and multiple footsteps come running towards him. Jongin straightens his back before facing his brutal fate.

Namjoon chuckles as two of his buddies hold onto Jongin’s arms. “Thought you’d get away so easily, but I made sure to leave a space open in my schedule of appointments today.” He pops his knuckles then takes a swing at Jongin’s face, getting right to the point. Jongin coughs feeling needles jab his jaw, and metallic on his palette causes his tongue to curl. “Never have it in you to fight back. Pathetic.” Namjoon aims for his stomach.

Jongin bends over. His shoes are dirty, and there’s a ladybug climbing onto his tennis shoe. Jongin grabs on the guy on the right arm to his left and pulls him over his body; he does the same action to the other guy ignoring their groans in a pile of splayed legs and crossed arms. Without bothering to check Namjoon’s reaction, he takes off to his house. He spots his mother’s car in the driveway and curses, wiping blood from his mouth.

He can’t let his mother see him like this. He would never hear the end of it if she discovers the open wounds and pale bruising.  Jongin races for the woods that line his backyard. He vaguely remembers a tree house somewhere in the back of his house. Leaping between two bushes, throwing branches behind him, and looking for the tree house, Jongin trips from a dislodged tree root.

His elbow scrapes on a rock as he hits the earth’s floor in a curled lump. Wincing, Jongin stares at his bleeding hand before crawling over to lean against a tree, his back pressing against the rough bark. His head leans back as he tries to catch his breath. Lifting his arm to analyze his cut, he gasps when he suddenly feels like he is falling backwards and his back hitting the ground.

“Oof,” Jongin rubs his head, raising it to see if Namjoon caught up to him. But he sees isn’t no longer his backyard woods. All around are large elephant ear leaves and fireflies humming over him, literally. To his right is a mushroom taller than him with small, blue animals squirming their way into the gills. A large caterpillar with curly red hairs over his body crosses over his leg. Jongin scrambles away, finding his footing and frantically searching for the direction his home is.

“Jongdae, is this it?” A deep voice asks in the distance between a few trees covered by climbing Morning Glory. Jongin waits expectantly, hoping it wasn’t another new addition of Namjoon’s crew despite not recognizing the name ‘Jongdae’. Jongin stills as he listens to leaves crunching by a pair of feet, coming closer to where he sits, crouched down.

“No, a snarlf is tinier. I can’t believe he is making us search for illegal ingredients. If they’re so important, he should find them himself.” A lighter voice responds, the words coming out annoyed and forcefully nasal. Jongin can see strange figures passing between trees, flashes of red and green.

“I know. He owes us big time- wait, do you smell that?”

Jongin sniffs for the strange smell, the aroma of honeysuckles waft around the air.

“Chanyeol, you’re the only one with a freaky sensitive nose. What is it?”

A round face with pink shaggy hair pokes out from behind a vine curtain, widening his eyes at Jongin on the ground. “A human.”

He frowns stepping closer to him until Jongin could reach out and grab onto the stranger’s leg, bending over him; he was quite tall from Jongin’s view. The stranger pokes his temple with a cautious finger. Jongin jerks his head away glaring at the man.

The man jumps back as if he is more shocked of Jongin than Jongin should be of himself.  “Oh my gosh, it’s alive. Jongdae, what do I do?”

The boy named Jongdae comes into view gasping. “Chanyeol, what did you do?” His arms flap against his side as he accuses the taller fellow. His brown hair bounces with curls as he pulls Chanyeol, the tall fellow, away from Jongin. He narrows his eyes at Jongin suspiciously.

Chanyeol shakes his head, pulling away from Jongdae and sticking his face in Jongin’s personal space, sniffing him. “I didn’t do it. It was just lying here.”

“What if the guard finds out? We could be arrested for treason! Killed! Oh gosh, what do we do? What do we do with it?” Jongdae frets, pacing around. He is wearing a beige shirt with no sleeves, showing his muscled arm. He had light green pants on with no shoes. He carries a stick as well, the stick taller than him. Attached to Jongdae’s back is two folder wings, a pastel pink with thick purple veins running through the length. Jongin stares.

“Uh, I have a name. I’m Jongin.” Jongin raises a hand up, unsure if he should trust the oddly dressed humans.

Chanyeol stares at it as if it was his first time seeing a hand; he glances at Jongdae, “What do I do with it?”

“I have no idea.” Jongdae shakes his head.

“I can hear you-” Chanyeol slaps his hand hard. “Ow!” Jongin cradled his hand.

“Shh! They might hear you!” Jongdae shushes Jongin, his lips curling.

“But he-”

“Look! A snarlf!” Chanyeol lunges across Jongin’s body to slam his hand along the forest floor. Chanyeol’s large torso rams into Jongin’s stomach which has surely bruised since Namjoon punched him there. He grunts under the pressure finding breathing slightly difficult.

“You hurt it!” Jongdae cries.

Jongin thinks he is talking about him and is about to thank him for his attention, but Jongdae had run over to where Chanyeol had his hand gripped tightly into a fist. As Jongdae is fussing at Chanyeol, Jongin realizes red, orange wings are slightly shifting along Chanyeol’s back. The colorful skin is pulled tight over the bones, appearing more angular than the swirled tip Jongin always imagined. Mesmerized, Jongin reaches out to touch it. It flutters under his touch and feels like leather, supple but sinewy.

Chanyeol suddenly rolls off Jongin laughing. “Don’t,” breathe, “touch,” heaving, “me there!” He lets out with tears building up in his eyes, looking at Jongin.

Jongdae just shakes his head, “Get up, you oaf! We need to take the human and the snarlf back!”

Jongin watches Jongdae turn around and stares at the faint pink wings, but unlike Chanyeol’s, its shape is soft curves like a butterfly’s. Chanyeol gets off the ground, sloppily grinning at Jongin and lunging after Jongdae. Jongin stands up, debating whether or not he should worry about missing dinner tonight. In conclusion, he follows Chanyeol and Jongdae to god knows where with them, debating if a snarlf would drown in water, whatever a snarlf may be.

They reach a large garden with giant black and white pumpkins, red lettuce heads, a blooming purple sugar plum tree, and light oddly colored egg plants that are violet on one side and light blue on the other. There are more plants, but Jongin has never seen more than half. There is an orange boomerang shaped one, and tiny moving green snakes that are planted in the ground, and small little planters that has green buds labeled May’s Louf, Brogstert, Helbin, and Yeblaise. All of which sound absolutely disgusting to Jongin. He goes to the eggplant since that is half way normal. He is about to pick one when Chanyeol stops him.

“The blue side is poisonous, no touching unless you have dragon skin gloves on.”

“There’s no touching at all. Baekhyun will personally skin you if you mess with his plants.” Jongdae glares at Chanyeol, who mischievously grins, winking at Jongin. “Come on, Kyungsoo’s house is just past the marrow.”

Jongin is utterly confused by their language. But he does learn a marrow turns out to be a large white gourd that is as big as a convertible. When they arrive at this Kyungsoo’s house, Chanyeol takes off inside, sprinting. “I found the snarlf! I found the snarlf!”

Jongdae grins too, hurrying inside. The house is a small grey cottage. A crooked wooden fence surrounds the front yard. Along the stone path to the round door is a sea of daisies, and there is a bird bath in the middle, but it isn’t occupied with birds. Two tiny human-like creatures splash around in the water, whispering vehemently about some ‘Crowning’ and a ‘Queen’. Jongin passes large daffodil cups that are up to his waist, bright red mushroom tops to his knee cap, and gnomes which groan lazily as Jongin blocks their sunlight.

By now, Jongin is sure he isn’t in Gulf Shores, his hometown, anymore.

He hesitantly steps inside the house. Despite its tiny appearance on the outside, the inside is rather large. A huge living room is past the twig trimmed awning. It has moss covered couches and tree stump tables with warm, blue curtains to bring out the earthy colors. Multiple male voices from another room hush as Jongdae gently whispers.

A loud yelling interrupts the eerie silence. “You did what?!”

“Chanyeol found him with his super sensitive nose. The thing was just sitting on the ground,” Jongdae explains. “We thought you’d know what to do with it Kyungsoo.”

Jongin starts walking towards the voices to find a kitchen full of males with wings. Jongin knows it’s rude to stare, but he’s never seen such an odd sight. Either these people are really into costumes or…

“It’s ugly,” A tall male frowns at Jongin. He haughtily lifts his sharp chin higher.

“Yifan, it’s not nice to call a human ugly. I heard that they are very sensitive,” A male with soft black hair says, a small horn peeking from between strands.

Jongin awkwardly shifts on his feet, “Hi, I’m Jongin.”

“Teia, I’m Yixing, a healer,” the horned head man smiles. Jongin waits for an introduction from the rest. Yixing points to the others, “You’ve unfortunately already met Chanyeol and Jongdae. The rude one is Yifan,” he turns to the last, “and this is Kyungsoo.”

Jongin feels his skin prickle, and eyelids flutter trying to capture each movement of the person that appears through the group.  His pink petal lips, shaped like a heart, purses with a frown, tilting down, and silver eyes that dance over Jongin’s body until they meet in the middle with pause. Kyungsoo. Jongin’s lips tilt at the sound.

“He’s bleeding, Chanyeol, what did you do to him?!” Kyungsoo rushes to him frantically holding his elbow, which Jongin flinches at the shooting pain up his arm, making Kyungsoo apologize quietly and Jongin feels his heart swell up.

“I didn’t do it! He came like that!” Chanyeol defends.

Kyungsoo leads him to a metal bucket, that Jongin supposes is his sink and soaks his cut. Kyungsoo orders Yixing for some herbals with complex names Jongin has never heard of before as he dabs Jongin’s elbow and hand with a cloth.

“We need to take the human back,” Jongdae says while Jongin watches Kyungsoo in a daze fix him. “How did he even get through the gate without the guards noticing?”

“How did he even find the gate?” Yifan questions, “It’s supposed to be hidden from everyone.”

Chanyeol leans on the oak table, “My guess is that a faery passed through it, which left the door open and _it_ happened to fall through it. The guards must’ve been busy playing chess. I wouldn’t blame them. Nothing has happened in five centuries to make them alert. The only question left is, how do we take him back?”

“Humans can only get through the gate with a grant by the Queen,” Jongdae mentions. “And if we did that, we’d have to explain how he got here, which could cause him more trouble than us.”

Yixing returns with the herbs. Kyungsoo brings the leaf to Jongin’s lips. “Lick it.”

Confused, Jongin licks the leaf and Kyungsoo sticks it to his elbow. “This will help seal up the wound.” Kyungsoo tells him, offering another leaf to his lips and placing it to his other wounds. Kyungsoo turns to his group of friends, “We will have to wait until the full moon. The guards always have a dinner party before the sun rises.”

“When’s the full moon?” Jongin leans to whisper in Kyungsoo’s ear, making him jump.

He gives Jongin a weary glance before sighing. “In four-night falls.”

Jongin raises an eyebrow.

“I assume Chanyeol and Jongdae told you nothing.” Kyungsoo rolls his eyes at the two idiots who are arguing over which should get the last vine of grapes to eat. Until Yixing comes between as a mediator and takes it for himself.

Jongin shakes his head. “Nothing, except they kept mentioning a snarlf.”

Kyungsoo shoots them a glare. “If anybody heard you besides him, I will-”

“No one heard us, don’t worry,” Jongdae reassures him although he shrinks back under his gaze until Yixing puts a grape against his lips. Chanyeol steps forward to Kyungsoo clutching his hands together. Kyungsoo stops putting spit-soaked leaves on Jongin to reach for Chanyeol.

“A snarlf is a small bean shaped creature that hides under the forest,” Kyungsoo informs him, cupping his hands together to take the snarlf out of Chanyeol’s hand. Jongin gets a glance of a wrinkly purple bean. Despite its small size, it has unique powers. Which makes it capture sensitive to the Guard.”

“Kyungsoo here is the best potion master in east Lyberium. He’s working on an ill-”

“Shut it, Park,” Kyungsoo growls. He makes his way to the fireplace in the kitchen and drops the snarlf in the cauldron simmering over the fire. Green smoke spits out and Jongin wrinkles his nose to the heavy fume of something burnt.

“Lyberium?” He asks.

“Lyberium is our world,” Yixing answers, throwing the grape-less vine away. “You went through a gate to get to Lyberium. The Guard consists of the Fae council, it’s protectors, and the highest, the Queen.”

“Fae?” Jongin questions. It can’t be possible that fae means…

“Fae as in Faeries. In your world, they have a tale about a pixie faery named Tinkerbell and-”

“Guinevere! She is the faery of love!” Jongin grins, happy to already know some faery history. He smugly checks each face, all of which look more confused than surprised.

“Yes, well, she is one,” Yixing muses, a bit shocked by Jongin’s outburst.

Jongin stares at each person in the room. “So you mean, each one of you is a faery?” He looks at Kyungsoo who has his back to him. Silver wings are folded across his back.

Chanyeol stretches slowly smirking as his wings expand, proud. It is more rectangle-shaped like an owl’s that tips at the ends than an angel’s wings wide arch span. The color of red and orange in his wings reflect different tones when the sunlight hits it making the wings appear more like fire.

“Chanyeol, as many times as I like to tell you, your flying appendages aren’t that cool.” A new boy walks in carrying a basket of wheat and apples. He drops it when he sees Jongin standing there and states, “Human.”

Chanyeol moves towards the first boy who was making fun him. “Now, Baekhyun before you freak out…”

“PARK CHANYEOL, YOU BROUGHT A FREAKING HUMAN BACK!” Baekhyun explodes, abusing poor Chanyeol along his chest and arms. Chanyeol smiles at Jongin painfully. “I’m okay. This happens often.”

But Baekhyun’s fist connecting with Chanyeol’s stomach makes Jongin’s own bruised stomach throb.

“I’m sorry you have to wait so long to go back home. When you get there, over a week will probably have passed. Time is completely different from here and your world.” Kyungsoo sidles up beside Jongin quietly surprising him, ignoring Baekhyun and Chanyeol. Faeries.

Jongin shakes his head. There is something magical about this cottage, or maybe just Lyberium, a brand new world he discovered less than an hour ago. It isn’t the fact that they are faeries that made the place so magical, but perhaps it is how relaxed he already feels in a place full of strangers or maybe it’s the prickly feeling Jongin feels whenever Kyungsoo is near him. Either way, he is glad he will be able to stay longer than a few days.

  
  


 

Jongin wakes up to loud chirps of birds. The sun has already risen sneaking through the crack of Kyungsoo’s handmade curtain. He shrinks back into the feather mattress with a groan.

“Wake up human! If you are to leech off of us, we must put you to work.” Baekhyun bangs on a chamber pot with a wooden spoon, grinning.

Jongin swallows a sea of curses as he sluggishly follows Baekhyun out into the living room his translucent golden wings fluttering as he hops across the room.

“The Coronation is coming soon, and I am harvesting the ingredients for Kyungsoo to cook with,” Baekhyun tells him slinging a bag over his shoulder as the travel outside into the blinding sun, weaving between the bushes and trees growing around.

“Why can’t the others help?” Jongin mumbles.

Baekhyun twirls around, literally twirls with a sickening smile. “Little human, I don’t believe you understand. You came into our world, into our lives. We have jobs, we have to stay thriving.”

Jongin believes Baekhyun would look perfect with a sparkling wand to match his sparkly personality.

They arrive at a huge field with rows of dirt. Jongin stares at the soil. “Why aren’t there any plants?”

“We have to plant them first, silly.” Baekhyun grins, looking through his purse. He pulls out a tan cloth pouch and hands it Jongin. “You can plant the lettuce, squash, and potatoes, I’ll do the rest.” Jongin watches Baekhyun squat to the ground and bury a small amount of seeds.

“These will take forever to grow!” Jongin whines.

The faerie shakes his head and barks at him to start working.

It isn't until the sun has dipped below the tree line when they finish. By then, Jongin’s back is aching and his legs are ready to give out by the numerous squats. His fingernails are caked with dirt. Baekhyun, looking more energized rather than fatigued, grins at their work.

“I dare say, I didn’t think we’d finish, but I underestimated you, human.”

“Jongin,” he corrects Baekhyun. “This will take all season until it’s ready for harvest.”

“Lesson One: some faeries have powers. Mine so happens to be light.” Baekhyun lifts his chin proudly, although still not eye level with Jongin.

“What will that do for these plants?”

“I can speed up their photosynthesis with my power. Now close your eyes, I don’t know how sensitive your eyes will be to the light,” Baekhyun warns him, rolling his shoulders back wings flexing.

Jongin listens and watches as the black of his eyelids turn pink and white.

Baekhyun then laughs. “Never thought I would display my powers to a human. Not many fae get to show their powers to a human. Let’s go back home. I’m starving!”

As they walk back to Kyungsoo’s cottage, Jongin asks questions. “So do all faeries have powers?”

“Not all, but some. Like there’s a water faery just east of the Naeola River, and the Queen has the power of frost. Most people put use to their power like me, but Chanyeol and Jongdae basically waste their powers by guarding the country, as noble as it may be.” Baekhyun stops to pick up an azalea. “Most of the guards are wasting their time. It’s been centuries since something bad has happened.”

“What are they trying to keep out?”

Baekhyun looks at Jongin more serious than Jongin has ever seen him and a dark look in his eyes. “We mustn’t speak of it.”

They eventually made it back home with the smell of lemon chicken and fresh rosemary. Baekhyun’s wings flutter again at the smell. He sings, the volume soaring through the cottage, “I’M HOME!”

“Baekhyun?” Kyungsoo’s voice slips between the walls in smooth ring.

“Who else?” Baekhyun retorts entering the kitchen where Kyungsoo is bent over a book. He puts a basket full peaches on the table that he had stopped on the walk back to pick, asking Jongin to reach the ones he couldn’t even on his tiptoes and was too lazy to use his wings for. Kyungsoo doesn’t even look up as Baekhyun knocks some pans off the table with elbow.

“Chanyeol said he might drop by.”

“When doesn’t he?” Baekhyun smirks, looking over to the cauldron. “How’s it coming?”

Kyungsoo glances to the boiling substance inside. “Only a few more months, and we can see if it works. Most of the ingredients have been put in, it just needs to simmer for a long while until it will be ready for the final element.” Kyungsoo turns to Jongin suddenly, “How was farming?”

Jongin opens his mouth, but Baekhyun cuts in. “We finished planting all the seeds for the Coronation Feast.”

“Good, I’ll go by tomorrow to help with the soil.” Kyungsoo says.

Dinner with Baekhyun and Kyungsoo is interesting for Jongin. Most of the time they talk of plants or remedies that Jongin doesn’t understand. He ends up losing himself in the discussion to watch Kyungsoo’s silvery wings softly brush against the back of his chair or the way Kyungsoo’s eyes lighten brightly when talking of a new potion. He doesn’t notice Baekhyun leave the room until Kyungsoo pointedly stares at him.

“What do think of Lyberium?”

“Um,” Jongin avoids looking into Kyungsoo’s eyes and finds Kyungsoo’s bare feet enthralling instead. “It’s different. I’m still not used to seeing people with wings.” At the mention of them, Kyungsoo’s pair ruffle.

Kyungsoo smiles gently back. “I can’t imagine. Hopefully Baekhyun didn’t work you to death. He can be slightly dim when it comes to others when focusing on his favorite task.” His toes curl against the stone, still unable to touch the floor, only to rest on the balls of his feet.

Jongin laughs, releasing a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “I thought my legs would need to be cut off before I felt them again!” He exclaims, a hand rubs his thigh to soothe the sore muscles underneath his jeans,

Kyungsoo checks him up and down, “It might help with circulation if you wore more loose clothing. How about you clean off and I’ll bring you a new pair of clothes. You’re starting to stench.” He wrinkles his nose cutely before sliding back in his chair and standing with the dirty dishes. He puts them in the basin to soak.

Jongin flushes and discretely sniffs himself. He grimaces at his own smell. “Yes, that’d be great.”

Kyungsoo takes him to a side of the house he hasn’t seen before. It is a walled room, but with no roof, so the moon and stars reflected in a steaming pool of water. A small trellis works its way along the walls making a waterfall of blooming honeysuckles.

“Luckily, when I inherited the house, it already had a hot spring with it. A couple of faeries have to take a clean themselves in the river.”

“It’s beautiful.” Jongin touches a few of the flowers, their soft petals gliding across his skin.

Kyungsoo doesn’t smile, but his eyes have a spark of pride before he leaves Jongin to wash-up. Jongin watches him leave before tugging off his jeans he’s been wearing for two days and his t-shirt. Finally naked, Jongin slips into the steaming water with a sigh. All the knots in his back and legs from working that day slowly start to wash off with the heat in the water.

Jongin looks up to watch the stars when he notices them slowly moving in circular patterns. He rubs his eyes to check but sees the same thing.

Kyungsoo returns then with a set of clothing. “I keep a couple of pairs of clothing for Chanyeol when he stays over. It might be a bit big but it will do until you return back.”

“Are the stars moving?” Jongin continues to stare at the sky.

“Of course. Those are star fae, they watch over while we sleep. Although they don’t do much since they live far away, but sometimes, if the wind is still and all is quiet, you can hear them singing. Perhaps one day, I can take you to Froh Hill and you can hear them more clearly.” Kyungsoo hands Jongin his new pair of clothes, leaving the human to become entranced with the new world he’s discovered.

Jongin’s eyes flutter open as a thick sticky substance slides down his temple. Kyungsoo’s eyebrows are knit together as he holds a ladle over his head pouring the substance that smells like burning cabbage on his forehead. Jongin jerks upward, his head knocking into the ladle as more liquid slides down the bridge of his nose.

“What are you doing?”

Kyungsoo sighs, putting ladle back into a pot he had in the other arm. “If you are going to stay here, people will notice that you are a human. I made a special potion that will give you temporary wings. It should only hurt a few minutes as the transition takes place. Just don’t go tense, it’ll make it worse.” With that, Kyungsoo walks out of the room.

Jongin follows his short legs with his eyes, noticing the flash of ankle when he takes a step. Jongin starts to wipe away whatever potion Kyungsoo poured on him when pain erupts from between his shoulder blades. His knees buckle as a sharp shooting makes his knuckles tightly pull a paler tone. Thick leaf shaped wings sprout behind his back curling forward to swaddle the length of his broad shoulders.

Jongin loosens his hand to timidly prod at the new soft flesh shuddering under velvet wings.

“It was faster than I expected. I’ll have to note that,” Kyungsoo appears, a finger at the corner of his mouth. “It’s not often you get to try spells or potions on a human.” He chuckles quietly at himself before offering a hand to Jongin.

Jongin takes it, thankful to have some support because he knees knocked against one another. “Thanks,” he smiles and watches his new ligaments adjust. Kyungsoo eyes him carefully as Jongin tries to figure out how to move his wings.

“Just relax,” Kyungsoo tells him, rolling his shoulders back. The more Jongin thought about it, the more complicated it became.

“Easy for you to say,” Jongin grits his teeth searching for some nerve in his back that could makes his wings twitch. He relaxes for a moment and checks Kyungsoo who has an amused tilt displayed on his lips, but it quickly disappears when Kyungsoo meets his eyes, leaving Jongin with a mouthful of playful remarks.

“How exactly did you know we were here?” Kyungsoo’s silver orbs penetrate Jongin, sending a shiver across his spine. Jongin carefully tries to read the dilating pupils that seem to swallow up the shining silver. Kyungsoo’s breath is gently sliding down the slope of his chin making him realize that he is standing considerably closer to Kyungsoo.

Jongin backs away, noticing it was his feet that carried him closer to stare at his reflection in Kyungsoo’s eyes. Jongin scratches the back of his head with his right hand, “I didn’t. I was running and I sat down against this tree to rest. Suddenly, I was falling backwards and landed in Lyberium.” Something whacks his shoulder. He turns to see his potion made wings slowly moving. Jongin smiles at Kyungsoo.

The faeries turn away. “I have to go to the Institution today, so Chanyeol will be with you until I return before sun down. Please make sure he behaves. I can’t have you two running into trouble while I’m gone.”

Jongin feels like a child being babysat, but he isn’t planning to let Kyungsoo know that. The entrance door slams open and Chanyeol calls for Kyungsoo loudly. Kyungsoo, standing in the doorway, sighs but his eyes soften making Jongin wonder when they were pulled tight.

“Hello, human.” Chanyeol grins, his fringe falling into his big, excited eyes. He gangly arms swing by his side. “I passed Baekhyun on the way here; said his mother had requested his presence.” Chanyeol chuckles, “I was about to follow him to watch the disaster he’s caused this time, but sadly I have to watch this wingless- Hey! He has wings!” Chanyeol barges past Kyungsoo through the doorway to poke at Jongin.

“Kyungsoo did it. He gave me this potion,” Jongin explains, looking towards Kyungsoo, but finds the place unoccupied. Chanyeol steps back, thin lips breaking into a smile.

“Well, since you can go outside without making anyone suspicious, how about seeing some of the countryside?” Chanyeol offers, keeping his eyes trained on Jongin’s wings. Jongin barely gets a nod out before Chanyeol is pulling him into the kitchen to hand him an apple and out the door into the early rising sun.

Kyungsoo’s house is a fairly decent walk through a thin clearing of barley and woods. Only a soft silence looms over the area, and the birds and bees try to make up for the lost sound, but sometimes it seemed forced. Yet Jongin didn’t mind. Kyungsoo does seem like the type of person that would rather be with silence. Chanyeol stays quiet, humming a ‘traditional firefly song’ as he had said until they get to the clearing and a bustling town greets them in their wake.

Jongin has never been culture shocked before. He had marveled at Kyungsoo’s home and the fact that his host has wings, but never did he expect the full-on package of the 18th century. Wagons wheeled past loaded with produce or hay, one had three kids giggling in the trunk when Chanyeol waves at them.

Jongin tries to capture every inch of movement like: the groups of young girl fae in short pink dresses as they whirled by, the older man that keeps haggling for five potatoes at the price of three coppers instead of the silver piece that the seller repeats annoyed, or multiple booths are being set up as the crowd thickens with middle age faeries.

Chanyeol walks ahead of Jongin, nodding to a few of the people that greet him, mostly the men in loose tunics. Chanyeol explains, “A lot of guards that I work with come here in the morning to help their wives set up or carry baskets of supplies home.” He then points to a road on the left between a bakery and a shoe master’s shop, “That way will take you to where most of the people live, although most just live spread out around the town.”

The farther down the road the closer built are the shops and homes, all being conjoined to make a long row of buildings. Chanyeol takes right down an alley a cleared field where a group of kids stand in a circle facing an older female faery in a floor length gown.

“They must be practicing for the Coronation,” Chanyeol says just as sets of wind pipes are drawn to the children’s lips, the harps follow along with mandolin, and the steady beat of the drum. Chanyeol smiles at the airy music as they continue to walk forward his footsteps trying to match the beat, but his steps are too long to hit the bare earth in time.

“Baekhyun had mentioned something about the Coronation yesterday,” Jongin tells him, his shoulders relaxing to sound of fading music before he could register why they would be tense in the first place.

Chanyeol glances at him. “Yes, he is helping us grow all the produce we need for our traditional feast that follows Coronation. Kyungsoo and I will make dinner for everyone. We’ve never had to do one before since a Coronation has never taken place during our lifetime, and neither when our parent’s lives. So, we are trying to keep the tradition going.”

“What is a Coronation?” Jongin asks.

“Well, before the Coronation, there is this festival called Crowning. All fae go to the capital where the Queen will choose the next King or Queen. Then there is the Coronation where the Chosen One will be blessed and also declared ruler of Lyberium.” Chanyeol stops. Jongin does too, only to stare at a huge stone manor with vines crawling up the corner.

“This is the Institution. This where most faeries come to study and become a master in certain fields. Kyungsoo comes here a lot to test his experiments, sometimes he’ll even fill for a teacher when needed.” Chanyeol smile falters when a voice from behind cuts across the silence like ripple in still water.

“Chanyeol? What are you doing here?” Kyungsoo gives no emotion as he looks from Chanyeol to Jongin, his arms tightening his hold on potted plants in his arms. Jongin blinks when one of the plants start to move a curl its way around the back of Kyungsoo’s neck.

“Showing him around, since you weren’t doing it.” Chanyeol shrugs, not bothered by the moving plant.

Kyungsoo sighs before walking past them. Jongin watches his back until he is meeting eyes with him. “Aren’t you coming?” Chanyeol nudges him to move fast before Kyungsoo completely disappears behind the large pine doors of the Institute. Chanyeol waves when Jongin gives him a timid look before opening the door for Kyungsoo.

“Thank you.” Kyungsoo brushes past him.

Jongin gets a whiff of cinnamon and the earth. His lips tilt up slightly as Kyungsoo leads him down wooden steps, down a barely lit hall and into a room that’s hardly bigger than his walk-in closet at home. Jars of ingredients rest on the shelves covering each wall. He spots one labeled Crocodile Heart, wincing at the sight.

Kyungsoo takes a scalpel and starts to cut the blooms off the plant that still has a vine wrapped around the nape of his neck.

“If you are going to watch me, at least be helpful,” Kyungsoo mutters sucking in his bottom lip as he concentrates, eyebrows knitting together.

Jongin reaches out and brushes his index finger against Kyungsoo’s line of hair.

Kyungsoo freezes. “Don’t worry about the plant. It’s supposed to do this. Find me toad mucus. It’ll be on the second shelf.”

Jongin exhales. He wasn't worried about the plant. He circles the room scanning each item on the second shelf. “In a way this is like Chemistry class, except you have chemicals and not squirrel feet.” Jongin brushes his hand against the tips of the jar. Kyungsoo doesn’t respond until Jongin sets the jar of toad mucus by his cut blooms.

“If this is human talk, then I have no idea what you are talking about.” Kyungsoo strokes the vine that is now nuzzling his cheek. It pulls back before sliding into its pot. “This is a Pythamious, it’s quite friendly and the blooms when mixed with toad mucus can stop light bleeding. But I am wondering on how I can make it even stronger. Unicorn blood can keep you alive, but it cannot heal.” Kyungsoo’s voice drops to a mumble, and Jongin wonders if Kyungsoo’s still talking to him.

“I heard willow trees help with pain tolerance.” Kyungsoo looks up at him with a frown. “Or something like that. I only learned it in school,” Jongin shrugs, tugging at his shirt which suddenly feels thicker as the temperature rises underneath it. “Are you making a healing potion?”

Kyungsoo shushes him. “It is a healing potion. But it’s more than that.” That is all Kyungsoo says, leaving Jongin wanting more of an explanation, but Kyungsoo orders him to start crushing the Pythamious blooms with a mortar & pestle. They work in silence, Kyungsoo diligently cutting the other plants’ leaves off and handing them to Jongin to mash. He also pulls together a bag of ingredients to take back home.

“How come you live so far from town?” Jongin keeps in pace with Kyungsoo’s quick steps as they walk back to the main area of the village.

“I used to live above a shop when I was kid in the square where all the action took place. I got tired of hearing wagons and horse drawn carriages rolling down the streets at an early hour of the morning. Where I live now I get plenty of peace, with the exception of multiple visits made by Baekhyun and Chanyeol.” Kyungsoo chuckles.

“What’s it like, living here I mean?”

A smirk pulls Kyungsoo’s right cheek up his eyes watching Jongin’s side profile. “What’s it like living in your world?”

Jongin smiles sheepishly. “Difficult, but here the tension and stress just melts away. I like it.”

Kyungsoo shakes his head to stare forward. “Don’t get too attached.”

That night, Kyungsoo and Jongin go to the garden where he and Baekhyun planted rows and rows of vegetables and fruits. Kyungsoo bends down, his fingers digging into the soil. He stays motionless, listening. Jongin watches the way Kyungsoo’s shoulders tense, his tunic tightening over the stiffened muscles. A sliver of skin flashes in the moonlight as his shirt rides up in the back slightly.

Jongin is tempted to pull it back down. Instead, he swallows, looking anywhere but at Kyungsoo. The ground underneath Jongin grumbles, and he steps back losing his balance. Kyungsoo dusts off his hands and smiles softly at Jongin posing with his limbs spread and steady. “Careful.”

“What did you do?” Jongin takes cautious steps.

“I mixed the soil, to change the nutrients.” Jongin only raises an eyebrow at him, requesting more. “One popular hobby for fae is planting or farming, and if you have a power that can help the growth, you get a knack for it. That’s how Baek and I had met, actually. We were barely 13 when I was watering my garden that I made at the back of primary school.

“He, for some reason, followed me and told me how my plants would die if I didn’t give them enough sunlight. I seemed to have a habit of planting it in dark areas. He stuck around after that unfortunately, but he’s helpful sometimes for things like this. His mother sells most of the foods we grow out back for his job. We have a pact where I get free produce and ingredients and I let him use my land.”

Jongin gives Kyungsoo a quizzical gaze, scanning from his toes to the tip of his ebony hair. Kyungsoo fidgets under his eyes, unsure of the heat rising.

“How old are you?” Jongin finally says, causing Kyungsoo’s shoulders to relax.

“I’m forty-two.”

“Oh?” Jongin stops, trying to find amusement in Kyungsoo’s eyes, but only finds pure seriousness. “OH. You can’t be forty-two. You look like a child. I’m seventeen and I look older than you.”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, clicking his tongue. He stomps his foot on the ground and Jongin sinks a foot into the dirt, and sinking farther as he tries to get out of quicksand.

“Age is different here.” Kyungsoo walks away while Jongin struggles.

“Kyungsoo! Don’t let me drown in quicksand! I take it back! You don’t look like a kid. I just said that because you look cute, but I was wrong!” Jongin wails as the sand is almost at his navel. He reaches for something to grab onto, but a hand pops in front of his face. Kyungsoo isn’t glaring, although if Jongin didn’t know any better he would’ve mistaken for it. But he notices the soft pull of his lips.

Jongin presses his palm against Kyungsoo’s and soft fingers wrap around his wrist before he is being pulled out of the sand.

“Thanks,” Jongin mutters, brushing off what he could. “So how old do you normally live to?” Jongin can spot Kyungsoo’s home in the distance past the giant white gourd. Pink, red, and orange blend with the clouds above his little cottage. Jongin smiles, he feels happy, as if he walks this path every day to see the black shingles peaking from behind a willow tree.

“Most live to 380 years old. Although my grandfather lived until he was 407.”

“How does school work then?”

“You start primary at seven and go for eight years, from there it depends on what course of life you want. Most kids who become farmers or field workers, never go back to school. If you become a guard, you train for three years before starting the official job. Those who already have a family business, they stay home to take that over.

“And lastly you have those who want to continue their studies. Baekhyun and I continued to go learn at the Institution only focusing on certain studies, I received my title as master in potions when I turned twenty-three, sometimes it takes longer. For Baekhyun it was going to take him two years more than me, so he dropped out at nineteen. Only nobles focus more on studies, rather than common fae.”

Jongin notices the way Kyungsoo’s voice scratches against the word ‘common’ or how he pushes a small smile on his face even though the seams of his lips are quivering to turn down. “You’re nothing like common.”

“We have a problem.” Chanyeol enters the house as Jongin and Kyungsoo talk about the difference between forest nymphs and tree nymphs. Kyungsoo only rolls his eyes in response to Chanyeol’s announcement, stuffing a sugar raspberry in his mouth. “It’s-”

“Kyungsoo?” A female voice rings through the house reminding Jongin of his wind chimes that would disrupt his peaceful summer day when the cooling wind would rush by with a quick hello.

“Jinri.” Chanyeol and Kyungsoo say at the same time. Kyungsoo frowns, his lip sinking down, “Jongin, go help Baekhyun in the field.” Jongin feels a hand pushing on the small of his back, leading him out the back door. When he looks back, Kyungsoo purses his lips.

“I’ll come for you,” he whispers before closing the door, and Jongin is left to walk to where Baekhyun is probably baby talking his plants as he showers faery dust over the soil. He chuckles at the thought. He can find the field much easier now that he’s gone there a couple of times.

Baekhyun really is talking to his plants when he finds him hiding behind a pumpkin. “Yoo can’t let lwittle buggies huwrt yoo”, Baekhyun coos. Jongin scoffs and Baekhyun jumps out of his skin. “You shocked me!” He accuses, pointing a finger. His wings shutter, and Jongin supposes it would’ve been frightening if his wings weren’t pale yellow with a hint of pink dusting the edges. Or the fact he just caught him talking to a lettuce head tends to make one less intimidating.

“Kyungsoo forced me to come hang out with you. Some Jinri just waltzed in and they shoved me out,” Jongin tells him, plopping on the ground beside the radishes.

“Jinri? Why would she be over?” Baekhyun blinks up at him, squinting because the sun is shining in his eyes.

Jongin shrugs. “I guess they didn’t want her to find me there. My wings haven’t gone away yet, so I just followed their word.” He mashes his hand into the soft soil, making a mold of his hand.

“That’s because Jinri has spent many years watching over humans; it’s like she has the power to know what you are. One time, I stole some of Kyungsoo’s metamorphosis potion and gave it to Chanyeol. He turned into a massive lion, so we decided to play a joke on her. As soon as she saw us, she looked directly at the lion and asked,” Baekhyun raises his voice a few octaves to convey Jinri’s persona, “‘Do you really think I’d believe you can be brave enough to stand before a real lion? Baekhyun, please, you set yourself at such a high standard it’s comical.’

“She thinks she’s so much better than us because she is the Lord Jung’s daughter and she already knows which lucky human is going to help plant her devil seedling and she can get Jongdae to run errands for her whenever he’s not working only because she is barely passing as pretty.” Baekhyun rants without breathing. He gulps a large amount of air before frowning at Jongin. “Honestly, she’s just an old hag who abides by the rules all the time, and if she’s someone disobeying she’ll turn them in to her precious father.”

Jongin tries to hide his amused smile. “What did you do?”

Baekhyun puts his hands on his hips. “I put my special manure in her seat the last year of primary school. But her face,” he breaks into laughter, his back falling forward, “the punishment was worth it if you could see the look on her face. She smelled horrid for a whole week!”

Jongin flinches at the thought. He looks back to the direction of the cottage. “You think they’re done by now?”

Baekhyun shrugs, standing and brushing dirt off his hands. “Possibly.”

 _Possibly_ was wishful thinking. Baekhyun steps inside with a grand entrance of, “Hello, fellow fae freaks!” His grin falters as soon as Jongin steps inside and Jinri is in the middle of almost strangling Chanyeol. Kyungsoo groans as Jinri leaps off Chanyeol and onto Jongin, wrapping her arms around him.

“You’re alive! I thought something terrible happened to you.” She pulls away to smush Jongin’s face with her hands, “Don’t run off like that again. I thought I lost you!”

Jongin flashes help signals to Kyungsoo pleading some assistance to get the stranger off of him. Her perfume, smells like daisies, chokes him. Chanyeol comes to the rescue, tugging the girl off. Kyungsoo tugs Jongin behind him, his eyes darkening as Jinri struggles in Chanyeol’s arms while glaring at Kyungsoo.

“Why do you have him here? It is illegal.”

“He fell through the portal, Jinri. I didn’t bring him here on purpose. We are returning him back home tomorrow night,” Kyungsoo says, his hand hot on Jongin’s wrist. His silver wings are tense, quivering as if being restrained to not spread and take a fighting stance, ready for flight.

Jongin reaches out to brush his hand against the velvety tip. Kyungsoo’s eyes widen, glancing back at him, but he immediately relaxes, his shoulder bumping into Jongin’s comfortingly.  Jongin switches his weight to balance the new addition. Jinri throws a questioning glance at Jongdae, who shrugs unknowing of Kyungsoo’s posture change.

“Do you know me?” Jongin asks, and Kyungsoo visibly flinches.

Jinri smiles, a yellowish haze glowing around her. “Of course, human. I’ve chosen you as my mate.” She states simply. Jongin gapes at her, loss for words but needing an explanation.

After a long silence, Kyungsoo presses his lips together. “Jinri, the human is tired. You are making it stressful for him with your future plans. Please don’t worry about him here. He will be in back in his own house before the sun disappears tomorrow.”

Jongin’s stomach turns at Kyungsoo’s words. He understood he had a short time with Kyungsoo and the others, but he feels like some of his time was spent carelessly. All the minutes and hours run out, and he begs to have more, but the set determination in Kyungsoo’s jaw lets him know there is no bargaining for more time.

Baekhyun pushes her out with no mercy as she stares dazed at Jongin. “My feathers, she would never leave. Bet you three silvers she'll back tomorrow just to see him off."

Jongin wrinkles his nose in response. “We don’t need to make this a bigger issue. She’ll just draw attention; we’ll have to sneak past her,” Kyungsoo says, eyes warily avoiding Jongin’s. The upper bow of his lips slips behind his bottom one, Jongin feels a slow pool of heat slide down his body at the movement. His stomach turning more, but Jongin notes, not uncomfortable.

“I am going to retire early, Jongin, please blow out the candle when you go to sleep,” Kyungsoo says leaving the kitchen. Jongin watches the time he has to spend with Kyungsoo shorten immensely as his silver wings disappear from his vision. Baekhyun smiles looking from Chanyeol to Jongin.

“Are you ready to go home?” Baekhyun measures the tiny shake of Jongin’s irises.

Jongin thinks about what he has back in the human world. He had his mother and father, who were both occupied with work, and his two sisters, one preparing for a baby, the other, graduating university. He thinks of Namjoon waiting by his locker, ready to make his life a living hell. He thinks of his future, which is more uncertain of the path it lies on. How can he enter a world he doesn’t know how to live in?

Despite being gone for a few days; he doesn’t feel a longing pull beckoning him back home. Maybe it was the world in which Kyungsoo and Baekhyun lived in that makes him forget everything else with their vibrant nature or bustling streets with faces that could become familiar. Their world is like a lullaby, something coaxing him to stay, but he couldn’t say what because he doesn’t belong here. Even if Kyungsoo gave him a potion every day to have wings, he technically still wouldn’t belong.

Jongin shakes his head, his silent answer to Baekhyun. No, he is not ready. The tear in his heart tells him so. Somehow in over 48 hours he has grown an attachment to Kyungsoo’s little cottage. He clenches the soft fabric of his pants in his palms. Baekhyun doesn’t press farther and neither does Chanyeol, as if they know how much leaving will hurt it.

  
  


 

Kyungsoo wakes him up tenderly. His voice stirring Jongin’s half-lidded eyes open. He smiles slowly, stretching in the cotton sheets as he focuses his tired eyes to Kyungsoo’s wide silver orbs.

“Wake up, Jongin. We have a busy day ahead of us.” Kyungsoo nudges his shoulder.

Jongin leaves the console of the bed, unknowing of the plans of his last day. Kyungsoo hands him a peach and leather boots. Jongin looks at the thin pair of sandals he wears now, so thin he can feel the rough edges of mismatched stone on the plane of his foot. Jongin assumed faeries simply wanted to be closer to the earth, without as much dirt. He takes the boots and wool socks stuffed inside.

Kyungsoo watches the whole time as he tugs the sandals off and sliding the boots on, a perfect size. His gaze makes Jongin’s skin heat up, and he rushes to tie the laces into a neat double-knotted bow. Secure. When he looks up, Kyungsoo does not look away. Something raw reflected in his eyes, unguarded as Jongin emits a shaky breath of surprise. Kyungsoo blinks, and the moment is gone. Lost somewhere in pools of gray.

Kyungsoo stays silent as they walk through an unfamiliar path. The silence brings Jongin to observe his surroundings, but he uses the time to study Kyungsoo’s back. His midnight black hair is gently caressing his nape, and his wings only a few inches longer than the expanse of his shoulders. In the sun, you can see blue veins create an intricate pattern, getting lighter as it neared the edge of his wings.

Jongin is tempted to brush his hand on the soft surface. They are captivating; and Jongin knows it’s only his that makes his eyes follow each stutter of Kyungsoo’s wings. He looks back then, an amused smile on his lips when he catches Jongin staring. Jongin quickens his pace to be in step with Kyungsoo.

“Where are we going?”

Kyungsoo plucks a dogwood off of a passing tree, rolling the stem between his thumb and index finger. “I told you one night that I would take you to Froh Hill.” Kyungsoo places the dogwood behind Jongin’s ear. They are so close, breaths fanning one another’s cheek. His hand brushes loose strands of Jongin’s hair away. Jongin leans into the touch. Kyungsoo’s breathing stops only for him to step away and warily say, “It’s bit of a journey, but we will be back by sundown. Don’t worry.”

Jongin isn’t sure who he is trying to assure, him or Kyungsoo himself. To distract his thoughts Jongin asks about Lyberium. Kyungsoo licks his bottom lip before mashing them together.

“Humans aren’t allowed to know, but since it won’t matter in a few hours,” Kyungsoo mumbles to himself. Jongin raises his eyebrow but doesn’t comment because Kyungsoo clears his throat.

“Lyberium was once called Avalon, but Merlin wanted to protect the fae after a war with trolls and mankind. So, he cast a spell that wiped everyone’s memory of Avalon. It was then replaced with the word Lyberium. In some translations, it means ‘free’ and also ‘woods’. Ever since then, we’ve called home Lyberium instead of Avalon to protect us.

“In fact, Froh Hill is to be believed where King Arthur risked his life to protect Avalon with his Excalibur. Although there isn’t much evidence. It is one of the few places you can see the whole capital.”

“Does the Excalibur still exist?” Jongin asks.

Kyungsoo nods. “I think so. It disappeared after the death of King Arthur, but I think it’s out there waiting for the chosen one to brandish the power that comes when holding the hilt. But if you ask any other fae, they will all say it left with Arthur’s soul.”

The path becomes thinner, so much that Jongin’s rub against Kyungsoo’s arm. He’s hyperaware of Kyungsoo’s presence as if he’s electricity and he doesn’t want to get shocked. The ground is soft, sometimes thick vines run underneath the brush, but Jongin tries to stay steady every time he trips and Kyungsoo’s eyes sparkle at him, the corner of his lips teasing him.  Kyungsoo’s feet seem to know every nook and cranny of the earth. His light steps make Jongin wonder of his wings are putting more effort into walking than his toes.

“Kyungsoo,” his names ghosts upon Jongin’s lips, “What did Jinri mean by I’m her mate?” The question has finally slipped past his tongue.

“Most male fae can’t produce, not after a pollen epidemic that occurred over a hundred years ago. Most female fae choose a human who they will mate with and produce a seedling. There are no strings attached for the man since it is impossible to meet with him. We have a day, every three decades where women are allowed to a lure their mate, produce a seedling, and return home to begin with the process of blooming.

“Jinri… she is a bit special. Her father is sentry guard for the gate, and often she went with him, in which she found you and chose you as the one. Although, she broke the law by telling you she had chosen you as her mate. We try to keep a low profile when it comes to dealing with anything in the outside world.”

Jongin furrows his eyebrows and rubbing his arm, “So you… can’t-”

Kyungsoo chuckles. “I am not sure. I never tried. The whole process of mating with a human is a bit primitive. More male fae are able produce now since only one generation was truly affected. Some females just prefer to be extra careful with their seedling just in case; Jinri is one of those few.”

The path gets steeper as they start to walk uphill. The foliage provides shade from the sun as the walk becomes more strenuous. The trees whisper in the wind and birds pass their heads chasing one another with a song. The forest is glowing, sometimes a rainbow appears between the brush or tree nymphs pull at Jongin’s hair giggling as Jongin whirls around and Kyungsoo fixes his hair with a sweep of his hand. Jongin notices each time his hand lingers a little bit longer on his head before Kyungsoo shrugs and retracts all contact, leaving their elbows to rarely bump.

“Close your eyes,” Kyungsoo demands quietly. Jongin obeys, but four fingers cover each eye, his lashes a feather to Kyungsoo’s callouses. Kyungsoo’s chest bumps into Jongin’s back as the walk forward. Jongin with careful uneasy steps and Kyungsoo with confident pushes. The heat between their bodies make a thin layer of sweat build on Jongin’s forehead, his stomach curl. “Open,” Kyungsoo’s lips dare to lightly touch the shell of his ear.

Jongin blinks as Kyungsoo’s hands are removed, and the heat that once made his chest tighten is gone. So fast, that Jongin steps back to regain control. That is until his mouth drops and his vision is gazing over lush green land and on the left is a large castle in the distance, standing tall and strong around are smaller buildings, houses dotting across the expanse. A river runs up the left of the city, a clear blue line cutting through the greenery. The horizon bleeds into the earth, a clear sky fading into a range of mountains.

“Well?” The lilt in Kyungsoo’s voice tells Jongin he’s waiting for his approval. As if Jongin is important enough to judge community his people have built.

Jongin turns to Kyungsoo, an expectant gleam in Kyungsoo’s eyes. “It’s beautiful.” Jongin wants to rephrase his words because as soon as it leaves his mouth he experiences the most beautiful thing, Kyungsoo smiles. Not just smiles, like the other times when only it washed along Jongin’s heart but pulled back, retreating. No, this smile was different. The bow of his lips stretched wide, his tongue peeking between white teeth, something clicks in Jongin’s mind as he returns the same grin. _He can’t leave_.

He can’t leave. Not with Kyungsoo looking at him with gentle focused eyes, making feel as if he’s the only one in the world that has his undivided attention. He must understand why his heart is having mini spasms occur in his ribcage as Kyungsoo freely chases him around chucking a piece of dirt at his back. He needs to know why his hand is burning when he grabs onto Kyungsoo's wrist to hold him back. Or why Kyungsoo’s laughter can be only thing he wants to hear for the rest of his life.

Jongin thinks the gods are out to curse him. Because as he catches his breath laying in the grass side by side next to Kyungsoo, the sky is suddenly painted with orange and yellow with a dash of pink. Kyungsoo is sitting up, his laughter and heavy breathing sneaks back down his throat. His tongue sticks out to wet his lips, and Jongin swallows down his chuckles.

“It’s getting late.” Kyungsoo looks at his hands, dusting off the dirt before deciding to smudge the rest of it on his pants.  He stands up, knees straightening. Jongin looks out at the view again. He hopes this won’t be the last time he sees this, especially without the heat of Kyungsoo beside him, warming the right side of his shoulder. “We should go.” Kyungsoo holds out a hand to Jongin.

Jongin takes it, ignoring the shudder running up his arm. They walk back quietly, Jongin trying to take slow steps, hoping they just might miss the time frame to send him back.

“How do you do it?” Jongin suddenly asks. Kyungsoo looks over his shoulder at Jongin, lips pursed. “How have you hidden this from seven billion people?”

“King Arthur did it. Remember I said he sacrificed himself for Avalon, well when he did, he also separated us from the human world, never wanting another threat to attack his people, and with Guinevere by his side, they created a secret portal they can connect us to the human world if we ever needed it. Luckily, we haven’t. It’s been more of a nuisance than help.” Kyungsoo side glances at Jongin between his curling eyelashes.

Jongin feels slightly guilty for causing Kyungsoo problems, but it disappears when Kyungsoo nudges his shoulder with Jongin’s. “Most days here have all felt like a dream. I’m still debating whether or not this whole place is real.” The words if you’re real catch in his lungs, refusing to budge. Kyungsoo is a dream for Jongin, a place of escape. It’s not just Kyungsoo that attracts his attention but the familiarity of Avalon how he feels like he belongs despite being different.

Kyungsoo searches Jongin’s face, toes digging deeper into the ground as they trek down the slope. “It just may be a dream. And you’ll forget it all when you wake up.” Jongin wanted to scoff, to put an end to thinking any of Avalon will disappear with his memories. Kyungsoo then hands him a large vial. “I figured you would get thirsty.” Jongin holds the crystal in his hand looking swishing the clear contents. Something tells him to be cautious, but Kyungsoo takes out his own vial. Jongin watches Kyungsoo’s throat bob as he swallows the liquid, lips making a popping sound after he was done.

Jongin follows suit, licking the corner of his mouth to catch the last bit of water. He can feel the cold chills run down his chest settling into his stomach, sloshing around with each step. His eyelids become heavy, shoulders drooping with the effort of standing upright. His vision swirls, drowsiness placing a frown on his face. Kyungsoo’s arms encase his body as his legs give out and his body slumps to the ground. Jongin can faintly hear Kyungsoo whisper, “Goodbye,” as the world goes out like a candle.

  
  


 

Jongin’s head is pounding, and he wonders if this is what hangovers were like. If his arms and legs are supposed to feel lethargic with invisible weights tied to him. He slowly opens his eyes only to blink away the purple spots, adjusting to the darkness of the room. He wonders where he is at until he can make out his nightstand beside him, littered with tissues, cups, and his most recent read. Jongin jumps out of bed, bare feet thump onto the cold wooden panels.

He can’t be back. Where is Kyungsoo? Baekhyun? Avalon? He stumbles around his room looking for a light, maybe an answer. Light floods into his room with a click of electricity. Everything is just how he left it, his Michael Jackson poster is half way off the wall. His closet door is still open because he was running late for school the other day.

A loneliness creeps up on him, digging its claws deep into his shoulder, sending poison straight to his heart. More than that betrayal had him by the leg, knocking him back to sit on his bed. Kyungsoo had made him drink something to make him go unconscious because he knew Jongin wouldn't leave voluntarily. He wishes Kyungsoo were here just so he can hit him and tell him what a jerk he is. He knows Kyungsoo doesn't mean much harm, but he's such a coward, not even to tell Jongin goodbye properly. He thought there was something there between them, now it is only an impossible distance.

Jongin throws one of the cups against the wall, the water already evaporated, its contents making an empty clatter.

“Jongin?” his mom calls, “Is that you?”

Jongin takes a steady inhale before exiting his room and facing him mother. “Yeah”, he replies.

His mother is sitting on the couch with a glass of wine in one hand. “Your friend dropped by, said you stayed at his house for a few days. I haven't seen him before, is he a new friend of yours? He was very… prim. I liked him, much better than that Namjoon that keeps hanging around.” she turns back to look at the TV, a yellow dim reflection lighting her face

Ignoring the anxious feeling that Namjoon is near, Jongin’s eyes widen. “Kyungsoo?”

His mother glanced at him, “Hmm? Oh, I don't know. He didn't give a name. Pretty eyes, nice skin?”

That's him. He was here. “When?” Jongin breathes.

“It was a while ago,” she gives no specifics.

Jongin groans, hurrying to put on shoes. If Kyungsoo was here, he still might be. There might be enough time to catch him, tell him that he can’t leave Jongin here, it’s not his home. He runs out the door not bothering to inform his mom, and she’s a bit tipsy this late afternoon to even care.

His feet pound against the soft grass, slightly damp from rain. His heart is thumping hard in his chest, constricting his thoughts to his brain. He weaves around the trees to find the exact one… He stops. There is an odd silence that has taken over the serenity of the canopy. He looks around darting his eyesight from tree to tree. He can’t even remember what tree it was; when he ran from Namjoon those days ago, he was so consumed with adrenaline, he didn’t pay exact attention to the surroundings. He tries touching each tree with his palm, pressing slightly to see if he’d just fall through. Nothing.

Jongin curses. He stays there, waiting, hoping that someone will come looking for him, Chanyeol or Jongdae. Anyone. He only has hope, nothing else to tie him to the memories he made the past few days. He drops to the ground bringing his knees close to his chest, arms holding him together.

He’s not sure how late it is, but the moon in high in the sky. Slivers of moonlight cut across his skin. He doesn’t bother thinking, he doesn’t want to go there, so he focuses on staring at the ground and if any thoughts knock on his door he ignores the constant banging. The night chill bites at him, snapping at his thin clothes.

Clothes. Jongin looks down at his appearance. He’s wearing a plaid shirt and loose sweatpants; he didn’t put these clothes on. The last thing he was wearing was the clothes Kyungsoo had given him his first night.  Someone had changed his clothes.

Jongin gets off the ground, brushing off the dry leaves that attached to his pants. He hurries to get back to his house, slipping through the front door quietly. His mom is passed out on the couch, and coughs at the heavy smell of smoke and alcohol. He goes into his room, searching for the clothes he wore in Lyberium. Nothing.

Jongin takes a deep breath, inhaling calmly but exhaling a sob. He curls up on his bed, kicking off his shoes, toes digging holes in the covers. A weep racks through his whole body, using all his energy to fall apart, and coming back together is impossible when everything you cherish has disappeared into the dark, unknown.

He punches the pillow by his head. How could Kyungsoo be so heartless? First, he drugs him just to get rid of him, doesn’t even say goodbye, takes every piece Jongin has left to claim those memories. His heart is gone. Something as measly as a shred of fabric is whisked off, burned up to particles smaller than ashes.

Yet despite all the hurt, Jongin just wants to see Kyungsoo again. Not even to take his anger or confusion out on him, but simply keep him near while they do something mundane like make dinner together or take a walk. He misses Kyungsoo’s presence and that hurts more than what the faery did to him.

It is ridiculous for him to believe that something so magical can become a haunting nightmare he never wants to let go of. When he closes his eyes, he’s whisked off to a land where wings sewn to the back are common and giant mushrooms are houses for tinier people and falling for one obsidian haired faery is easier, less consuming of his heart. Yet, when you dream, you must always wake up.

Jongin lives his days carrying a heavy heart. Hopes, still high, just pushed aside as he continues making his way through his normal life. School helps ease the empty hole in his heart. Even when Namjoon eventually finds Jongin walking to lunch, Jongin doesn’t bother to run anymore. He has nowhere to run. There’s no possible way of escaping his fate once again. He faces it head on, and he will crumple to the ground…

  
  


 

It’s the same type of day, Jongin is taking his faithful walk in the woods. It’s been two weeks since Jongin had stepped into another world, two weeks since that fateful encounter. Now, he keeps his thoughts far from that place he felt almost at home, trading it for thoughts more realistic, like what he will do after high school.

The end is coming closer; each of his classmates are more anxious than normal, but Jongin doesn’t feel any urgency. He just itches for a chance to be outside again, so he can… think. Which is why he finds himself sitting on a boulder in the middle of the woods, watching the sky overhead.

Unlike most days, it isn’t sunny or pleasant summery mood with blooming flowers and chipper birds. Rather, it is far too silent for Jongin’s taste. The birds have disappeared into hiding, and even the color of the plants around seem dull in the ever-growing presence of a grey sky. Although the canopy of foliage overhead seems bright, waiting patiently and excitedly for the downpour that is being begged to come.

Jongin pokes at some moss next to his hand when a droplet of water hits his shoulder making a quiet yell of ‘splat’. Jongin flutters his eyes to the sky only to have another droplet pelt his cheek and slide down the surface to his chin. He shakes head, hopping off the rock as the sudden downpour makes a thundering applause against the greedy leaves. He races off to find shelter in the meantime, until the storm passes. He is sure he’s far from home at the moment; he’s lost all track of time.

Jongin darts between the trees, leaping over bushes and thistles, arms swinging close to his body. His clothes get soaked in no time, chilling him down to the bone. His movements get slower, losing the sense of urgency as the sky continues its anger with no mercy, letting out a terrible crack of lightening and harsh cackle from the booming thunder. He comes to a stop by a thick tree with vines crawling up one side. He presses his palm on it as he bends over and catches his breath.

His vision dots with black and he feels his head heavy in his other palm grow light. Slowly the world tilts, and Jongin no longer is staring at his knees or the wet dead leaves on the earth floor. He closes his eyes, bracing for the impact of his fall to come, but it never does. Sluggishly, he blinks at a blurry figure holding him. Jongin’s eyes are still going black, so he closes them too tired and cold to care just who is holding him. He embraces the soft warmth of the stranger letting it lull him to sleep, not even listening when a voice, albeit muted, speak.

“I was wondering when you’d find us.”

  
  


 

Jongin wakes up to the sound of clattering dishes. His head throbs at the sound, he turns over in the soft sheets that smell so much like honeysuckles… like Kyung-

Jongin jerks up, blinking away the sleepiness that crusts over. A ceramic cup sits on the tree stump by his bed. He reaches out for it and gulps the contents down in one go. His throat feels scratchy and parched. He barely remembers how he got here, except that he fainted only to wake up in a familiar room.

“Kyungsoo!” He calls out, voice cracking at the effort to sound louder than a whisper.

Nonetheless, the sound from outside his room pauses. A loud holler echoes through the house until the door is open showing an overzealous Baekhyun.  

“Jongin! You’re awake! Gosh, I was worried that I’d have to call Yixing over to make sure you were going to be alright, which we do _not_ want to do. You had us scared there. When Chanyeol spotted you coming through the portal on one of his shifts, he brought you back here immediately. Jongdae and I tried to take care of you with what little potions I knew of that could do the job, but the only effect I saw, was that it made you sleep! I thought maybe you were stuck like that permanently, but alas! Here you are, alive. Everyone will be thrilled.” Baekhyun babbles on loudly, never taking a break to breath.

Jongin watches him, confused and groggy. He doesn’t bother to listen when another figure steps into the room. Chanyeol grins at him bring a plate of food to his lap. Jongin bites into a ripe strawberry from off the plate. “We should get him dressed. We have a long trip if we are to be at the capital in enough time for Crowning.”

Baekhyun claps his hands, “Yes! I almost forgot.” He rushes out of the room only to return with burgundy robes and leather sandals. Jongin tries not to smile, he’s slightly missed the different fashion. “Hurry and put these on. We need to meet the others. I told Kyungsoo to hold a spot by the truffleberry booth. So that way we can have a snack during the show.” He grins, waiting.

Jongin looks at him expectantly. Baekhyun never makes a move to leave; Jongin coughs. Baekhyun doesn’t give any indication of giving Jongin privacy while he changes, so Jongin tugs off his shirt, and flattens the soft fabric of the burgundy tunic. After he finishes dressing, Baekhyun nearly pushes him out the door.

Chanyeol had already left because he could ‘hear Jongdae whining about how we are always late and I don’t want to have to owe him for the next week’ as he had said while he walked out the door. Baekhyun tells Jongin to hold onto his legs tightly.

“This is not very conventional,” Jongin complains, wrapping his body around Baekhyun’s legs like a child would. Baekhyun rolls his eyes and counts for takeoff contorting his face looking as if he needed to use the restroom badly. Suddenly, the ground is below Jongin and Baekhyun is heavily breathing as his wings frantically beat loudly to keep them both in the air.

“I need to start working out,” Baekhyun barely gets out between breaths. His face has turned red from exertion and sweat rolls down his temples. Despite Baekhyun’s poor physical state, they reach the village far quicker than they would have if they walked. Baekhyun collapses to the ground, his legs knocking into Jongin’s head.

The human rubs his forehead, positive that he will have a knot forming from the harsh contact of Baekhyun’s shin to his skull. Dusting off the dirt, they walk side by side down the path to the village. The land almost scarce of any fae.

“Where is everyone?” Jongin asks, looking around.

“At the capital, of course. It is mandatory that everyone goes to the Crowning. Plus, it is a historical event, no one wants to miss it anyways. You are going to be the first human ever to see this event,” Baekhyun tells him.

As they get closer to the heart of the town, more clusters of people appear. It suddenly becomes too crowded to weave between people together, so Baekhyun holds onto Jongin’s wrist to make sure he doesn’t lose him.

Jongin tosses his eyes in every direction to capture the festivities. The thumping of a drum and the constant notes of a harp seem to encircle the city with a happy spirit. Faeries join together to dance to traditional folk songs. Dresses flutter across the stone path way and merry shouts to the music brings a smile to Jongin’s lips.

Baekhyun slightly flaps his sparkly wings just to see over heads to spot their friends. “I see Chanyeol, the tall oaf.” Baekhyun shouts, but over the sound of the quickening beat it hardly registers in Jongin’s ears. The strong lull of it makes Jongin’s heart race and head reverberate with the strength of it. His body urges, thrums with the desire to join in with the song.

When they reach Chanyeol, he helps pull Jongin up on a stand so they have a good view of the street before them. Jongin looks around to find Kyungsoo, but he can’t spot his small stature anywhere in the throngs of faeries. He does see gnomes sitting at the top of roofs watching the chaos down below.

“They are notorious for gossiping,” Baekhyun catches his train of eye and explains loudly. “The whole country including the lava nomads will know that about the new King or Queen after this because the gnomes spread news like wildfires.”

Chanyeol leans over to whisper in Jongin’s ear, “Kyungsoo’s over there by that green sign. His parents sell these delicious cakes in that shop. Most people buy them to eat to celebrate the Coronation.” Just as he finished talking, Kyungsoo walks out of the little bakery his family owns and squeezes onto the street. Jongin tries to capture his attention by waving his hands, but the faery never looks up from where he is standing across the road.

Suddenly, the crowd is no longer filled the with ringing music or pleasant chatter, but overtaken by soft whispers.

Chanyeol nudges Jongin in the stomach. “It’s the Queen.”

Jongin tears his eyes away from Kyungsoo and finds the faery royalty with ease. The crowd parts for her as she walks by with careful, sure steps. She had long silver hair that brush along her lower back in ringlets. A silver crown sparkled in the sunlight as it rests on the top of her head. She wears a long white dress that ran over the cobbled streets, dirtying the hem. The Queen exudes confidence and strength with her head held high, eyes searching the crowd for the next heir of the crown.

She is getting closer and closer when Chanyeol stands partially in front of Jongin. “I don’t want her knowing you're human. We’ll be in trouble if she sees your eyes,” he whispers. Jongin takes the moment to glance to Kyungsoo, who is staring at him.

Jongin smiles, happy to finally see him in weeks or has it been months in his world? Either way, Jongin feels a warm feeling in his toes spreading up his legs. He waves slightly when Kyungsoo shakes his head in disapproval. His eyes are wide with this slight panic as he stares at him until the people in front of him become less and less and he breaks off their eye contact and becomes aware of what is happening in front of him. Until someone is standing front of him, capturing his attention. The Queen.

Jongin watches with baited breath. His heart hammers loudly in his ears. His body turns cold.

“We have a new ruler. A King!” She raises Kyungsoo’s arm above most of the faeries’ heads so they can catch a glimpse of their new ruler.

The crowd’s cheers fill Jongin’s ears. He can barely hear Baekhyun exclaim close to him, “Is that Kyungsoo?”

Just as guards surround the royals, Kyungsoo looks back at him. His eyes penetrating his own with words he can’t read in the growing distance that separates them.

  
  


 

Later that evening, Jongin is sitting in Kyungsoo’s house with Baekhyun, Jongdae, and Yifan. All who voice out their surprise at the turn of events every few minutes. Jongin stays stunned in the corner. He sometimes follows the faeries flurried movements in the corner of his eye, but usually keeps his gaze focused on a whittled mushroom foot rest that stays by his feet.

“I can’t believe he was chosen. I mean, I can of course, but the fact I know him…” Baekhyun mutters as his spindly fingers weave a second basket tonight with tendrils of grass. Jongdae mentions he does it when he’s nervous or wired.

“He hasn’t even been crowned, and you’re already ruining his reputation just by knowing him, Baekhyun.” Jongdae’s lips curl mischievously earning a kick from Baekhyun. Jongdae squeals and darts away laughing.

Yifan enters the room eating the servings of food from the feast they were all supposed to have together- but now, their plans seemed to have crumbled apart after the shock. Or they could be like Jongin, and have lost their appetite.

“Wha’re ‘e goin’ oo do?” Yifan asks with his mouth full of a pastry sweet, making the words come out obtuse and barely coherent.

Baekhyun shrugs. He glances at Jongin in the corner before speaking, “I suppose we wait for Kyungsoo. He will need help packing his stuff up.”

Jongin hopes he is right.

But Kyungsoo doesn’t come for days or maybe even weeks. Jongin is starting to adjust again, being back in the faery world, and he truly thinks it is messing with his perception of time. Most days he goes out to the field and helps Baekhyun although the faery is much faster and more practiced than him with gardening.

Part of Jongin thinks of how he wanted to return to this world just to be with Kyungsoo, but now, there hasn’t been word of the fae in weeks. He doesn’t believe he made a mistake, but he does think what he would have been doing if he was back in the confines of his home. Probably choosing a university he doesn’t want to go and watching Netflix thinking of how he wishes to be somewhere else, anywhere, just not his home.

Without having a particular routine, Jongin loses track of the days. He wakes up, sometimes takes a walk or makes breakfast. Other times he’ll go scourging for ingredients and, once every week, Jongdae takes him into town because he usually has to pick up weapons or armory from the blacksmith for the guards.

Everyday seems to blur together, until one early afternoon while Jongin was washing off his freshly picked berries and Baekhyun was blabbing about how Yifan attempted to flirt with a clerk. It was another day where Jongin fed the rezzlewings, yellow fluffy creatures similar to a squirrel but had spiky venomous tails rather than a fluffy, harmless one, for Jinki, who was going to train them because they are apparently splendid finders, especially for potion ingredients.

Today, Jongdae and Chanyeol are going to come over for dinner after Jongin promised he could cook a delicious ‘human’ meal. They didn’t believe him, of course, but are going to test out the theory anyways. It isn’t until it was almost sundown when Jongin starts to chew on his lip, worried, because Chanyeol nor Jongdae have bothered to show up yet. Although not the most punctual of faeries, but when they promise to arrive before dusk, they usually get to the cottage before the sun brushes against the horizon.

This time, though, they are extremely late. The sun has disappeared halfway, dinner is done, and there is no sign of them. He constantly checks the windows in the front for a sign, but the trees around him are starting to fade to pitch black. Jongin quickly picks up a candle and lights the lanterns outside the cottage, hoping it will help Chanyeol and Jongdae on their travels despite being able to see in the dark ten times better than Jongin and knowing the path to the cottage by heart.

Jongin distracts himself with a book, a novel Jinki had given him, when loud banging on his door startles him making him jump up in his seat. He opens the door to a sweaty Baekhyun, heaving heavily with his wings sagging against his shoulders as if he had flown as fast as he could.

“Are you okay? What’s going on?” Jongin immediately checks out into the darkness to see if anyone was chasing after the fae, but when he can’t identify anything, he closes the door behind them, turning to an almost recovered Baekhyun.

“Something bad has happened,” Baekhyun rushes. “I didn’t know if you were okay or not, so I tried to get here as fast as I could, but Yixing wasn’t letting me go.”

Jongin guides him to the living room, sitting down on one of the tree stumps before asking him to explain from the beginning.

“There was an attack. On the outer rim of the country. I still am not sure where, but this place isn’t far off from the edge, so I thought- I was unloading a cart of goods at Seulgi’s shop when I heard the news. A town crier came and said that there was an attack by grendels. I tried to find Chanyeol and Jongdae to make sure they were okay, but the stupid guards wouldn’t-” Baekhyun chokes up. His thin fingers curl up against his chest as he tries to not let out a sob.

Jongin reaches out a hand, patting his soldier. “I am sure they are okay.” Jongin hopes so too. “They are capable and trained. They won’t go down without a fight.”

Baekhyun snorts. His index finger scoops up a sparkling drop of liquid off his cheek before looking up at Jongin with a crooked mocking smile, “Please, Chanyeol couldn’t hurt a Warf, and Jongdae isn’t that coordinated.”

Jongin isn’t even going to question what a Warf is. “You said the village was attacked by what?”

“Grendels.” Jongin blinks. Baekhyun gives out a sigh, “Grendels are these huge green monsters, almost like a troll. We had thought they’d gone extinct after the Unseelie War, but apparently not. Or at least that we locked up all the creatures that sided with Unseelie in their world. If they escaped, then we may all die.”

Baekhyun takes Jongin to his home, afraid to be alone and for Jongin’s safety. They walk together the next morning, arriving at a large tree, circular and wide with a deep green canopy above. Jongin doesn’t even register that he’s at Baekhyun’s house, until the male pushes lightly on an indented piece of bark, that Jongin would have totally missed if he was just passing by, and a spacious home is revealed on the inside.

Awed, Jongin follows after Baekhyun, running his fingers over the interior of the tree. The faery didn’t have any individual rooms, just one large room: kitchen on the left with a small table beside it, a couch and chairs are in the middle, woven by silky leaves, and an elevated platform where a line of wardrobes are. While Jongin is admiring the home, Baekhyun moves around the house, opening up the windows to let light flood in before he blows out his candles.

“What do ya think? Better than Kyungsoo’s niche?” Baekhyun places his hands on his hips, grinning proudly.

“No bathroom or bedroom?” Jongin spins around seeing if he missed it, or maybe there is a hidden door like the front.

Baekhyun shakes his head. “I bathe in the river not too far from here. And my bedroom is right there,” he points to all the wardrobes. “I sleep on the floor, it’s better for my wing problem. They tend to bend when I don’t lay on flat surfaces.”

Jongin hums in response, not sure what to say back.

Baekhyun shows he doesn’t need a response and continues talking, “We also are on the inner corner of the town near the West gate, so a lot of merchants pass by. Usually I haggle them into delivering some of my own stuff, but Seulgi had a sudden out of stock of mandleroots, so I had to rush it over since it was in season. You haven’t met her yet, have you? She’ll probably be over at some point with Jinki. Those two grew up together not too far from here. Seulgi opened up her business here, in town, and Jinki tagged along although he practically owns the place too despite his lenient hours.”

“Baekhyun!” A voice calls from outside and Baekhyun peeks out the window before his wings start to beat rapidly against his shoulders. He swings open the door, and flies out. Jongin hears grunting and searches for what caused that kind of reaction from Baekhyun.

There on the ground is Baekhyun and what appears to be him squeezing is Jongdae in a huge hug that tackled the visitor to the ground.

“Why didn’t you come sooner? I thought something happened to you? Is Chanyeol okay?” Baekhyun asks, mumbling into the loose fabric of Jongdae’s shirt.

Jongdae chuckles, his eyes curling into a smile. He tries to get Baekhyun and him off the ground brushing off the leaves that are stuck to his wings. “I am alright. So is Chanyeol, but he is still working. It’s a little bit hectic, but let me explain inside… where no else can listen. Hi, Jongin.”

The human holds the door open for the two faeries smiling back at Jongdae. When settled inside, Baekhyun hurries to put a pot of water on the stove to make quick mix nectar per Jongdae’s request.

“As you probably heard, grendels attacked a village in the north. It was unexpected. No one knew there were that many left, but luckily the soldiers there fought them off, but there is a lot of damage to the town. Over a third was turned into ashes. They are trying to determine what protocol should be done. Some of us may be sent to the northern city and do rounds to all the locations there, some are being sent to the gates for higher security, and some may be sent to the castle.”

Baekhyun sets a steaming cup in front of Jongdae, grasping his own in a vice-like grip. His knuckles turn white above the thin bones. “Do…” Baekhyun stares into his cup for a second before looking up uncertainly and worried at Jongdae. His mouth moves around silent words as his eyebrows furrow together. “Do they know who is behind all of it?”

Jongdae scratches his thigh, suddenly looking exhausted from working three shifts all in a row, “Who do you think, Baekhyun? Unseelie are behind it all. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. I don’t know how some have escaped, but they are coming.”

“Who are Unseelie? You’ve mentioned it before.” Jongin pipes up.

“Unseelie are the exact opposite of us,” Jongdae explains. “We are called Seelie, but there is another side, the evil one, and that is the Unseelie. A long time ago before King Arthur, we all lived in peace. But when King Arthur came around, the Unseelie refused to have a human as their king and revolted against him. This brought the War of Good and Evil.

“The Unseelie were brutal, using tactics to harm and kill their own brothers. They requested help from what was once our friends, trolls, dragons, and even grendels. Grendels were their main ally and by the end of the war, we had thought them extinct. And eventually those who had sided opposite of us begged for forgiveness although I am still not very fond of trolls only because of the stench. The Unseelie weren’t given an easier time. Merlin had casted a spell with the help of Guinevere and placed all Unseelie on an island, stripped them of their wings, and placed a barrier on the island so no one can get out.”

“For centuries, there was no news about the Unseelie except that they were growing crueler, their hatred for us only doubling day by day. I can almost forget about them, but now… I- I never thought this would happen in my lifetime. What exactly are they after?” Baekhyun mumbles into the rim of his cup, top lip catching on the inner.

Jongdae has been staring at his hands all the while talking. His thumb digs into the palm of his hand, finger curling under the pressure. Jongin can see the callouses on his skin from clutching his sword day by day.

“There is a rumor that a few guards captured a grendel before killing it. They said it was promised all the humans it could eat. The only way to do that, is for them to destroy the gate-”

“Allowing all the Unseelie to break free,” Baekhyun finishes. “Of course. Clever little fiends.”

Jongin gulps, “Humans?”

Jongdae nods, eyes vacant, “The thing grendels love to eat the most. Humans.”

  
  


 

Jongin isn't sure how he is absorbing all of this information. He’d really like to be in bed with a cup of hot chocolate by his side, but instead he is out walking the streets of town where it is oddly sparse. He had left Jongdae and Baekhyun alone, needing some time to think. It is already hard enough with Kyungsoo leaving him without a word, but now knowing the entirety of the human race is being threatened frightens him to no end.

How can he trust faeries, like Jongdae and Chanyeol, to protect him with only a sword when there are militaries on the other side of the portal with nuclear missiles and machine guns? What kind of match are they against these grendels? Can they keep the whole world safe with such a small army? And what about all his new friends, Kyungsoo, Baekhyun, Yifan… will they make it out alive?

Jongin’s questions are delayed for a moment when a hand reaches out of the darkness of an alleyway he is passing by, gripping onto his forearm and tugging him into the darkness. Well, Jongin thinks, at least he won’t have to worry about anyone anymore if he is already dead in the hands of a grendel. Jongin squeezes his eyes shut, waiting for a painful and gruesome death. When he finds none, he peels up one eye before gasping.

Kyungsoo stands in front of him with wide, worried eyes. A black cloak pools around his body and frames his face, making the lovely color of his paler skin stand out. Jongin’s heart beats harshly against his chest and feelings of longing press into his lungs, the soft tissue aching with every shallow breath.

Jongin’s knees feel weak as he stares into the eyes he has been thinking about every day when he wakes up and falls asleep, wondering if Kyungsoo was eating, if he was making his country proud. He didn’t realize how much he missed the other until seeing him just now, looking a bit thinner in his cheeks than before and his eyebrows seem permanently knitted together. His brain seems to stutter before he is engulfing Kyungsoo into a big hug.

The smaller doesn’t move, his face pressed into the curve of Jongin’s neck. “You’re okay.” His soft, warm voice fills up the hollow in Jongin’s chest.

Jongin pulls back to stare back over Kyungsoo’s features, “Of course I am! And you, have you been eating?” He pulls at Kyungsoo’s cloak, noting that his knuckles barely brush his ribcage. A frown pulls his face down, concerned.

Kyungsoo snorts. “Grendels are going around destroying villages, wanting to feast on someone like you and you are worried if I have been eating?” Kyungsoo doubles over laughing with a laugh sounding more forced through each inhale.

Jongin blinks, not sure where the fae is getting at. “Kyungsoo, I am serious.”

Kyungsoo stops laughing and straightens up before looking back at Jongin with certain eyes. “So am I. You need to go back.”

Jongin swallows. He wasn’t talking about the cottage. “How can you say that when you know how much you mean to me? How much this world means to me? I went weeks living here without you just in hopes that I could see you. Doesn’t that count for anything.”

Kyungsoo shakes his head. “It’s not up for you to decide. It’s safer for you to stay in the human world,” Kyungsoo pauses before turning away to mutter, “where you belong.”

It hurts Jongin. A lot. All he has thought about has been about Kyungsoo, and the latter couldn’t care less. At first, Jongin actually thought Kyungsoo was concerned for him, maybe even missed him, but he can plainly see now Kyungsoo just wanted to make sure Jongin was out of the way. A burden off his shoulders. His eyes start to sting, so he turns away, where his back is facing the faery.

“You should visit more often. The others. They miss you.” Jongin’s tongue is bitten so he wouldn’t that he too missed Kyungsoo.

“I know.” Kyungsoo’s voice responded oddly quiet. Jongin wants to turn around what kind of face the older is making, but he stops himself clenching his fist. He can’t look any more pathetic than Kyungsoo already probably thinks of him. When he starts to walk away, he hears Kyungsoo call out for him, but Jongin never looks back leaving Kyungsoo hidden in the shadows.

Jongin returns to Baekhyun’s home knocking on the tree, unsure of where the door is. Baekhyun pops his head out grinning, “You’re back. Just in time for the family meal.”

The ‘family meal’ consisted of Yixing, Chanyeol and Yifan. Jongdae had to go back to work relieving Chanyeol from his shift. It felt empty to Jongin, or maybe he was empty. Although Baekhyun and Chanyeol were boisterous enough, he missed the small voice that would sometimes interject, throwing his own curveball into the banter. And according to Baekhyun, nothing is quite the same. It never will.

  
  


 

Two weeks later, Jongin is walking down the same street where he had met Kyungsoo. His head hangs low, watching his shoes make circles in the dirt when he spins around on the balls of his feet. People are out decorating the street with string of large woven flowers and ribbon almost hanging off every window in preparation for the Coronation in a week.

With the date of Kyungsoo’s crowning, Jongin should feel an anxiousness for the latter, but every time the future king is mentioned, Jongin only feels numb.

“Psst.” Someone hisses as he walks by.

Jongin searches for the source around him. He didn’t notice a tall, fierce looking man leaning against one of the shops, pushing off the wall and coming towards Jongin. Jongin watches him cautiously as the stranger comes to stand in front of him. He had silver hair that is arranged in sharp angles that matched the sharp lines of his dark eyes and pressed lips.  “You’re the human, right?”

Jongin steps back, getting ready to bolt. Chanyeol never told him what he should do if someone was to ever discover his real identity. The stranger looks at him with clouded eyes before a child-like crooked grin breaks over his menacing features. “Thank the junipers. I thought I was going to be waiting here forever, but he told me to stand right here until you passed. At some point, I thought my legs were gonna give out.”

Jongin blinks, still ready to take off any second. “I’m sorry, but who are you?”

The stranger sheepishly smiles, cowering completely changing his first demeanor. Jongin thought he would snap his neck or something violent. Looking at the man know with peach colored cheeks, he just assumes the worst he could do his accidentally whack him with his wrist while gushing over carnations.

He rubs the back of his neck nervously. “Right, I’m Tao, Kyungsoo’s personal guard. Now, there was a reason I was telling you that… Ah, that’s right. He wanted me to give you this.” Tao hands over a folded paper to a puzzled Jongin, who accepts it robotically. “Sent me all the way down here just to give some human a piece of parchment.”

“You’re not here to kill me?” Jongin asks, still slightly unnerved by the faery before him.

Tao raises an eyebrow, musing over the idea, “No. At least not yet. Kyungsoo hasn’t promised anything yet. Anyways, I must be on my way. The Queen demands I train three other guards before the Coronation, and things like that just doesn’t happen overnight.”

Burgundy wings are barely visible behind the expanse of Tao’s back. It flaps together twice as hard as other wings Jongin has seen before to make up for the lack of size.

If the turn of events did not so stun him, he would have been amused by the tough faery with small fluttering wings. After Tao has disappeared. Jongin unfolds the note that says in neat curled loops, _cottage, sundown._

Jongin doesn’t bother to tell Baekhyun where he is going when he gets back because Kyungsoo didn’t mention telling anyone else about this secret meeting if it is a secret meeting. He would probably be upset if he did, so Jongin keeps it to himself and prays Baekhyun doesn’t notice his anxiousness as he rocks back and forth on the balls of his feet or the tap of his fingers on the outer plane of his thigh.

When Jongin gets to Kyungsoo’s cottage, he expects the male to already there and waiting. Instead, all the lights are off and the hedges need trimming from the few weeks of neglect. Jongin toys with a passing rose before walking inside and lighting the candles up so he can see. When he finished with the last candle, he turns around only to jump up in surprise.

Kyungsoo is standing only a foot away silently appearing and watching him. The candlelight shadows the sunken bits of his face harshly. Unconsciously, Jongin reaches up to press his palms into the hollows of his cheek. When he realizes what he is doing, Kyungsoo is already leaning into the touch surprisingly, eyes fluttering shut as his lips barely part.

“You are not eating.” Jongin frowns when Kyungsoo doesn’t even try to deny it. His skin looks discolored. The candlelight gives a greenish-undertone to the bags under his eyes.

“There is never enough time to eat. With the Coronation coming up, the Unseelie trying to get in, and you…  I--”

“How am I a reason for you not eating?”

Kyungsoo’s hands reach up and smooth Jongin’s shirt around his shoulders. “I kept thinking about how I can get you to leave to where you will be safe, but I can’t. If the gates open, just a hair, it gives us enough vulnerability to allow them to reach for the upper hand. I can’t cost it.”

A part of Jongin’s hopes deflate in his chest. His shoulders sag. “You still don’t want me here?”

Kyungsoo sighs, before stepping back. “It’s not like that, Jongin. You know it’s not.”

Jongin snaps. “I know it’s not?! Every time I see you, every time we talk, you always have to mention how I don’t belong or how I need to leave. You never think about what I want. It’s all about you. It hurts Kyungsoo. It fucking hurts. I spent months wondering if I’ll ever get to see you again or if you remember me? But I am just a burden to you. I always have been.” Jongin spews out, turning away from the faery.

Kyungsoo looks defeated. His fingers roll into a fist then unclench, his legs feel weak. “I’m sorry. But you must know that all I’ve been doing is trying to think what is best for you. You don’t want to stay here. It’s not a magical fairytale place like you think it is. If you stay here, you are going to die sooner than all of us, you will never get to be with your friends or family again, and you could face rejection from the fae community. I don’t want to put you through all that.”

“You didn’t ask what I wanted.” Jongin’s thumb and index finger comes to hold Kyungsoo’s chin and directs his head to look at him. “I want to live here, even if I do die. Maybe there is some potion you can make to help prolong that. Even if there’s not, I want to spend the rest of my life here with you and our friends. I don’t want to go back to where I’m from, that isn’t home. This cottage is home to me. And I think, most of all, you are afraid of facing rejection from the fae community.”

Suddenly, a droplet of water forms at the corner of Kyungsoo’s eye. Jongin watches it travel down the slope of this nose and into the downward pull of his lips and dipping into the seams.

“You can tell?” The faery chokes. The vulnerably on his face, written in the irises of his quivering eyes has Jongin starting to lose his breath. Jongin’s clammy hands find Kyungsoo’s, weaving their fingers together.

“Not always, but I’m starting to see the little messages and hints spoken with your little idiosyncrasies and facial expressions. No time soon, I’ll be a professional Kyungsoo-reader.” Jongin responds lightly.

Kyungsoo cracks a small smile. He steps closer so he can press his forehead to the human’s. “A selfish part of me wants you stay, keep you safe with me in the castle. Part of the answer came to me the other day from the Queen when she told me that the gates will be permanently shut until further notice.”  

Jongin raises an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“The Queen and I have been trying to increase security where we need it most with the citizens which leaves the castle slightly defenseless. I am requesting my own team of security. After I become king, Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Jongdae, and Yifan will all come to the castle. I need them with me.” Kyungsoo reaches with his fingers to trace the jutting bone of Jongin’s wrist. He closes his eyes, dusting his eyelashes across his cheeks. “And you will be able to safely live in the castle.” _With me._

“You’re not going to send me away,” Jongin whispers, his vision crossing as he watches Kyungsoo’s eyebrow twitch.

“I’d feel better if you were within a walking distance from me.”

“Will you eat?”

Kyungsoo steps away, making Jongin want to lean forward and capture the loss of heat back. “I can’t guarantee anything. There’s hardly any time to eat. The attack on the northern village has been spooking a lot of the citizen. Since it is only a week from my Coronation, the Queen is trying to let me handle most things on my own, so it will be easier transition. However, with all these rumors of the Unseelie escaping, I don’t know what to do. Even the Queen is looking at me for guidance because she has never had to deal with these types of situations. There was that dry season two decades ago,” Kyungsoo continues to ramble on, a first for Jongin.

Jongin grabs Kyungsoo by the shoulder’s jolting the faery to silence, “You will make a great king. You weren’t some random fae chosen off the streets. You were chosen because she sees what I see in you.”

Kyungsoo blinks up at Jongin, his silver eyes sparkling as if stars were scattered flecks around the iris. “Like what?”

“That you are extraordinary.”

Kyungsoo’s cheeks turn the prettiest pink Jongin has ever seen at Jongin’s words. His wings beat gently, and his lips form into a wide soft smile that melts Jongin’s heart.

Kyungsoo grabs Jongin’s hand, tugging him outside and to the small meadow. He plops to the ground yanking Jongin with him until they are lying side by side in the grass gazing up at the stars. Jongin turns to stare at Kyungsoo’s side profile, a tender smile on his face. There are no harsh lines pulling at Kyungsoo’s face, a serene, calming smile on his bow lips.

“Why do you want to stay here? Don’t you miss your family? Friends?” Kyungsoo asks, rolling into his stomach as his fingers dig into the soil, the ground humming as he toys with his powers.

Jongin crosses his arms over his stomach to face the sky. “I never really belonged there. Every day was mundane and monotonous. At school, I didn’t have many friends… There were kids who didn’t like me. My family never pay much attention to me, what with my sisters having their own kids and have accomplished so much. I kinda always felt like I wasn’t enough.”

“You are enough, Jongin,” Kyungsoo says tenderly.

Jongin’s breath hitches. His hands itch out to reach for Kyungsoo to pull him in an embrace, but he tugs his elbows closer to his side. Kyungsoo’s mouth forms a heart, and Jongin finds himself feeling warm all over and protected.

Unable to take the tight feeling in his chest he forces a smirk. “So you’ll let me stay?”

Kyungsoo nods. “As long as you are okay that there could be life threatening dangers, and that if you do want to return back home, a lot of time might have passed by then. Things won’t be the same as before.”

The tightness in Jongin’s chest eases. “Well, if that ever happens, at least everyone will have wrinkles and I’ll be my handsome self.”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes in response, only emitting a small chuckle when he dumps a pile of dirt on Jongin’s head.

Kyungsoo has to fly back to the castle before someone realizes he’s been gone too long. He says goodbye with unsaid promises of seeing one another again. Jongin walks back with lighter steps to Baekhyun’s home only to be yelled at for being so late.

“I was about to send Chanyeol out there to look for you. Jinki brought over more potion for your wings. They are starting to fade, so wash your face with it before you go to bed tonight.” Jongin only grins making Baekhyun glance at him weirdly.

  
  


 

It’s only a day before Kyungsoo’s Coronation, and Jongin is traveling in a large caravan with Baekhyun and Yifan. They had received a notice from the castle requesting Baekhyun’s assistance, requiring him to move most of his possessions into the castle along with all of the vegetables he had harvested for the Coronation. Jongdae and Chanyeol have received similar notices, but they moved a few days ago because they needed to finish some training by a few castle guards.

Yifan declined to move to castle, saying he would miss his mother too much, but they all know it was because of the faery he’s had his eyes on for the past few months is keeping him from changing his mind. However, he promised to visit all the time since it is only a half a day of flying. Unlike the caravan being led by two horses, it will take them over a day to reach the capital.

They have to set up camp with much complaints from Baekhyun. “I don’t understand why we can’t just keep going. We can rotate shifts if one of us gets tired,” he whines.

But Yifan protests, saying, “The horses need rest, Baek. And honestly my legs could use a good stretch after sitting on this bench the whole day.” So Yifan makes a fire while Baekhyun fishes some blankets out of the caravan for them to rest on. Jongin takes the few spare moments to go fill up his leather skin canteen at a stream that he can hear rippling in the distance.

He follows the noise picking up hushed whispering as he grows closer to the stream only to find two water nymphs toeing the edge of the water. They’re about the length of Jongin’s forearm and give Jongin a wary glance as he bends down a few feet away from them. He gives a friendly smile to show he means no harm and the nymphs roll their eyes before going back to their hushed tones.

Jongin can’t pick up what they are saying, their language sounding slightly different from his own. His eyes focus on the water passing his canteen. The stream is a crystal blue surrounded by the surreal green of foliage and dark muted browns from the dead leaves and trunks. Jongin dips his free hand into the water, feeling the cool liquid run through his fingers.

Filling up his canteen, Jongin stands back up, his knees popping from his stiff muscles. He blinks realizing he doesn’t hear the conversation from the nymphs anymore. He glances over to where they are and find the area vacant. In fact, the whole forest seems too quiet. The brook seems to have silenced it’s burbling.

A tree branch snaps behind Jongin. He slowly turns around only to step back, a shout of disgust and surprise bubbling up his throat. A large mass, Jongin’s not even sure it’s close to being human, stands before him with dark, putrid scaly green skin that clings to its thick frame and yellowing eyes with red veins cutting across the edges. It has no ears and a neck like a frog that protrudes out. The _thing_ opens its mouth widely in what Jongin assumes to be a menacing grin, flashing long, jagged yellow teeth dotted with molding brown.

Jongin automatically steps back, his foot landing in the still stream, when the creature lets out a growl rumbling from its stomach to the thing’s guttural throat. The beast lumbers forward, catching Jongin’s arm when he tries to escape. He tries to twist his wrist to escape, cries of help escaping his lips. The monster growls louder, sneering at him. Its giant fist comes swinging, knocking into his chest, and causing him to fly backwards.

Jongin’s vision fills with black dots. His lungs can’t seem to fill with enough air as he gasps out. His back is pressed into the dirt, fingers grappling for some source of support on the ground as his head spins from the force of the punch. He can hear the monster step closer. The vibrations of its footsteps cause Jongin to start shaking where he’s hunched over. He waits for the force of the next blow.

A loud splash is heard and water flecks across Jongin’s face. He opens his eyes; his vision starts to clear. However, what he sees makes his stomach lurch forward. The creature’s grotesque head is floating in the stream, a thick purple substance leaks from the wound. Jongin looks up and sees Yifan cleaning off his sword, the purple substance turning the clear stream into the dark color.

“You saved my life. Thank you,” Jongin croaks out. He can feel his lungs throbbing against his rib cage painfully. Yifan notices the grimace on his face, helping him up tenderly before taking him back to camp. “What was that?”

“A grendel. You got lucky. It was only a baby. Normally, formally grown grendels can’t be killed by anything except this one rare material, but since it was a baby, it wasn’t old enough to have developed their thick skin,” Yifan explains. His face is strangely impassive as he talks, keeping a cold gaze on the path he is following.

Jongin can’t figure what is keeping Yifan so stoic. “That was a baby? It almost as tall as me!” He exclaims, remembering the ugly glare from the grendel.

“Most grendels are around nine to ten feet.” Yifan places him down on a blanket Baekhyun must’ve laid out. Jongin groans when his back pops sending a shock of pain through his bones.

Yifan shakes his head. “We’ll have to get a healer to look at you as soon as possible. I’m afraid that your ribs could be broken.”

“It’ll definitely bruise,” Jongin inhales sharply.

“I made some tea. I’m heating up dinner right now, so just rest for now.” Yifan hands him a steaming cup.

The aroma of flowers fills Jongin’s nose. He sips gently, trying not to sit up. When he finishes, Jongin closes his eyes, willing his mind to focus on something else than his heartbeat sending little waves of pain into his chest.

  
  


 

The first thing Jongin sees when he wakes up is steel silver eyes inquiring with a worried frown. Black eyelashes brush across his flushed cheeks. Jongin realizes there is a pressure against his cheek, a thumb pressed to the soft skin under his eye. The hand moves away, and Jongin follows the movement as Kyungsoo leans back.

Jongin reaches out for him, but he jerks his arm back when sharp ache racks up the ligament. Kyungsoo enters his personal space again, his eyebrows pressing together in concern. His hand reaches out to cover Jongin’s forehead, pushing him back into the softness of the pillows around him, forcing him to stay calm.

“Don’t move. It will hurt more if you do.” Kyungsoo’s soft voice soothes Jongin’s heart rate. “I put some salve on your chest to help the bruising. Luckily, your ribs weren’t broken from what our healer could tell, but I need you to stay in bed for a couple of days to recover. Just to be sure everything can heal properly.”

“Where am I?” Jongin grimaces his own voice cracking from disuse. He hopes Kyungsoo doesn’t notice.

Kyungsoo’s facial expression doesn’t indicate anything as he runs his fingers through Jongin’s hair, massaging his scalp. “You’re at the castle. Baekhyun arrived early this morning, waking me up and telling me everything while we brought you here and got the castle’s healer to give you a once over. He noticed your wings were fake, so he gave the reversal for that. I told him to let me apply the ointment since it was least I could do since it is my fault you had to go through that. I’m so sorry, Jongin. This is exactly why I wanted you to be with the rest of the humans because you could get hurt. And you did! You almost died! I would’ve never forgiven my-”

“You put ointment on my chest?” Jongin blushes, his whole body growing warm at the thought of Kyungsoo trailing his fingers over his body. He stops before he gets too deep and the wave of heat tracks down settling it roots at his groin. He can’t pop a boner in front of a full-grown faery because he can’t control his hormones.

Kyungsoo stops in his tracks, one side of his lip twitching. He hums which Jongin takes as a ‘yes’.

“Wait, what about your Coronation?” Jongin sits up, his hand automatically crossing over his stomach as he does so and wincing in pain.

Kyungsoo rushes back to his side, helping him sit up, “Well, I’m having Chanyeol stall for me. It’s only being delayed a couple of hours. I couldn’t focus without knowing if you were okay.”

Jongin waves him away, standing slowly by himself. His chest is left bare as the sheets fall off his shoulders. He looks over and catches his shirt resting in a chair across the room. Kyungsoo notices his gaze and gets it for him, handing it over.

“You should stay and rest.”

Jongin pushes his arms through his sleeves raising an eyebrow at the faery. “And miss your Coronation? I think not. You may be taking the throne soon, but you can’t order me around just yet.” He smirks at Kyungsoo who rolls his eyes in response, but an amused smile curls on his lips.

“I need to go get prepared then. I’ll send someone here to take you to Baekhyun. Are you sure you will be alright?” Kyungsoo’s eyes seem a shade lighter in the bright sun that reflects in it.

Jongin nods. “I will be fine. You go on ahead.”

Kyungsoo is hesitant for a second, but he eventually turns around biting his lower lip before leaving. Jongin watches him go, the faery’s cloak rustling along the wooden floor.

Just like Kyungsoo promised, a squire comes to take Jongin down into the courtroom which is more like a large courtyard with gothic stone pillars and large ceramic pots at the end of each row brimming with vibrant flowers. Rows of people wait in their seat facing an intricately carved arc of flowers, nymphs, and little forest creatures. Jongin has to blink multiple times when he disbelievingly sees two centaurs with flower crowns standing at the back of the room. Under the arc is a marble throne, the back of is sculpted into large wings that are so long they rest heavily on the floor like a cape.

He is escorted to where Baekhyun is seated, an extra seat placed beside him. Baekhyun grins at him. Beside Baekhyun is a few other faeries Jongin recognizes from the town: Jinki, Seulgi, and a few others who work at the Institution. Baekhyun points out where Chanyeol, Jongdae, and Yifan stand guard, looking alert and still. Their attire matched the other knights in the room in deep blue tunics, black tights, and leather boots.

Suddenly, the door at the back of the room opens widely, separating as an expansive light floods out brighter than the fading sun above. Everyone stands to watch a woman appear through the doors. Jongin recognizes her immediately as the Queen. He watches her take slow steps down the aisle in a long satin green dress, her silver hair cascading straight down the middle of her back between her pair of transparent mint green wings that seem to sag and fade in color from age.

When she reaches the front, she stands beside throne. Her hand grasps the arm rest of it before looking at the people before her with a collected look on her face that is almost devoid of any emotion as she speaks, “Please remain standing for the entrance of your King.”

As she says so, the doors she had entered through open and Kyungsoo steps out, carrying his head high. Jongin grabs onto Baekhyun’s arm for support as his breath his lodged in his throat. His anxiousness and excitement for Kyungsoo thrums in his pounding heart. Kyungsoo walks forward looking ethereal.

He is decorated with dripping gold down his silver wings. Gold dust is scattered across his eyelids and smudged just under his eyes. His hair is curled up, displaying his forehead. He wears a loose white tunic decorated with gold patterns and embellishments and white tights that hug the curves of his thighs.

Walking down the aisles, Kyungsoo smiles princely, nodding off the nobles. He holds his hands together in front of him, only showing his nervousness through the fidgeting of his thumbs twirling in the fabric of his shirt. When he reaches the steps in front of the Queen, he lowers down to one knee, head bent.

“It is my pleasure to stand before you today, the citizens representing my true love, Lyberium. You have all been gathered here to witness for the first time ever, the Crowning of Do Kyungsoo.” The Queen takes a step forward as a sword is carried out by clothed servants on a satin pillow. She takes the silver sword that is encrusted with glittering jewels. “I will now knight thee because the ancestors before me have spoken and chosen you. With this sword, may your left shoulder always be guided by those who listen. May your right shoulder lead a nation of many generations.” She pressed the flat blade of the sword to Kyungsoo’s shoulder and then to the other before placing atop the crown of his head.

“Lastly, may your soul be filled with grace and kindness, but stay strong to withstand the dangers that threaten our borders. In the name of Aine orginem vitae, I bestow you, citizens of Lyberium, your new King. Hail King Kyungsoo!”

Kyungsoo rises from his place before moving forward to stand directly in front of the throne, facing the people in hall. His lips gently curl up as two nepheles, cloud nymphs, fly down with a halo of gold and red rubies and translucent purple veil with gold flowers adorning the cloth to rest under the crown. The hall breaks out in an eruption of applause and hollers. The horns of trumpets and trombones echo the chorusing cheers.

Kyungsoo walks down the aisle with flower petals rain down him as he passes. His eyes search the crowds flitting around until he settles on where Jongin is clapping. Jongin beams at the faery, feelings of pride and happiness bubbling in his chest as Kyungsoo continues with a wider smile disappearing in the throngs of people as he makes his way to pass through the streets to greet his people. _Their_ King.

Most of the faeries in the hall follow after their monarch until there is just a few remaining. “You should probably get back to bed and rest. I think Kyungsoo left some healing potion in a bottle beside your bed.” Baekhyun instructs him.

Jongin grabs onto Baekhyun’s before arm as he starts to leave, “I’m not exactly sure where my room is.”

Baekhyun chews on his bottom lip for a second, “I’m not exactly sure either. I barely remember how to get to my own room. Luckily, Jongdae and Chanyeol’s quarters are near mine. But yours, I only visited once when I traded with Kyungsoo to watch you for a while he had to do some business.”

Jongin flushes when thinking about Kyungsoo just watching him as he rests in a bed, concerned for his health. “Oh.”

“I can take him there.” A soft, assured voice speaks up behind them.

Jongin swivels his head to gasp at the former Queen looking at him expectantly. “I would appreciate that. Thank you.” He starts to move around the seats, stopping when he notices the Queen not moving. Baekhyun gawks at him. He raises an eyebrow in question.

“Oh, you humans.” The Queen sighs. She reaches out her arm looping it in with Jongin’s. “You should always escort royalty, especially if they are centuries older than you. Didn’t they teach you faery etiquette in those silly schools of yours?”

Jongin chuckles at her teasing and the Queen’s eyes curl, the wrinkles folding deeper at the action.

“Kyungsoo told me that he had a secret that I wouldn’t like. I suppose you are it. Can’t say I pleased about the fact a human managed to enter our world, but it is nice to see a different face.” The Queen guides him slowly, taking graceful steps one after the other.

“I hope I didn’t get him in trouble. It’s not his fault, I swear. I stumbled upon this place by accident while I was running.” Jongin bites the inside of his cheek hoping he didn’t do anything to ruin Kyungsoo’s first day as king already.

The Queen frowns. Her lips were always pressed together, but they seem to form a tighter line as she thinks. “Interesting. You were able to break the barrier on your own.” Jongin thought it was a question, but the Queen mumbles to herself when he prepares to answer. “Very strange. You are quite strange.”

Jongin doesn’t know exactly how to respond so he stays quiet as they walk back towards his room taking turns and many winding steps to get back.

“This is your room. I will have to talk to Kyungsoo about this. Yes.” She nods to herself.

The human switches his gaze from the door to his room to the Queen. She is quite beautiful despite her age tugging at her skin. Her eyes are a deep blue, the white covered in a fading film. Her cheeks are prominent and still dusting a healthy rose color. She stands tall, almost as tall as Jongin, and her gaze never falters, demanding everyone’s attention by the turn of her head. Jongin wonders if Kyungsoo will have that kind of charisma after a while.

He’s not sure how he would feel with everyone begging for the King’s attention all the time, but it’s not like Jongin has the right to desire all of Kyungsoo’s focus. Jongin goes into his room after the Queen walks away. He takes time noticing the details of his new room.

His bed is bigger than what he has been sleeping on with a deep purple quilt and matching goose feather pillows. There’s a huge wardrobe beside a floor length mirror that has swirls cut into the frame. Jongin heads to the double joined windows, unlatching the hook that keeps them closed. He swings the windows up and a gust of crisp air runs through his strands.

He lounges across the window seat, peering down at the street below. Music carries its way up to his room along with festivities of the Coronation. Jongin can’t spot Kyungsoo anywhere, but he smiles at the thought of everyone celebrating because of Kyungsoo being crowned.

  
  


 

Jongin wakes up with his back aching. He didn’t realize he fell asleep on the window seat leaning against the wall. Jongin checks below to see if there was still a parade going on, but only yellow lights dotted the city before from windows of homes. Only a few stray faeries wander the street drunkenly or for a nice night stroll.

Jongin yawns and shuts the window before peaking his head out of his door. His stomach growls and he places a comforting hand over it. Taking a quiet step into the hallway, Jongin roams around getting distracted by extravagant art hanging on the walls or vases that seemed thousands of years old.

“Jongin?”

The person being called whirls around to the open door. Kyungsoo strides forward from where he was leaning over a desk in his room. “What are doing?”

“Searching for food.” His stomach growls pitifully in his response making Kyungsoo laugh.

“Come on. I need to give you a tour of castle anyways. Are you feeling better?”

They walk together side by side, only a few inches separating them. “Much better, thank you. The potion you made really helped.”

“I’m glad. I heard you talked with the Queen.”

“That’s right! I forgot to address you properly, uh, Your Majesty.” Jongin scratches his neck sheepishly not sure how to act around royalty.

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, one side of his mouth curling up. “Don’t even try. You can call me Kyungsoo. Just try not to do it when in front of someone other than people like Baekhyun. I’ll feel weird if you did it when it is just us.”

“I don’t, my King. You no longer should affiliate with poor common folk like myself.”

Kyungsoo knocks his shoulder into Jongin’s arm. “You’re talking like you belong in this world.”

“It’s my charms. I’ve weaseled my way into everyone’s hearts that if they tried to get rid of me, they’d die of sadness.”

Kyungsoo snorts in response.

Jongin grins at him. “So tell me, how was the parade? Were you smothered with fae babies and presents?”

The faery raises an eyebrow at him. “What are you talking about? It went well, better than I expected. A little overwhelming and loud. I was expecting to hate it, but I enjoyed myself. I got to meet a lot of people who live like I did, so it was nice to build a relationship with someone other than the lords and nobles that will throw themselves at me for attention.”

“So, what do you do from here on as King?”

Kyungsoo purses his lips. “Well, I’m trying to conduct some research, I’m still working on this one potion, and I am preparing different strategies if the Unseelie attack. We have to be prepared for anything since we have little information about what is occurring right now.”

“What will the Queen do now that she is done?”

“Well since it is the last few years of her life, typically most go and live in the countryside with their family. She never found a partner, so she will stay here and help me with everything that is going one. Especially, since she has more wisdom about what is occurring.” Kyungsoo brings him into a large kitchen where only a few workers are cleaning up the countertops and hovering over the stove. “Any extra food left?”

All the servants bow at the entrance of the King. A faery with a long wavy black hair addresses him, “Back so soon? Your figure will grow plump if you keep visiting me to eat.”

Kyungsoo scowls. “It isn’t for me this time. It’s for the human.” He points to Jongin who fiddles with his sleeves.

The man does a semi-bow to Jongin. “I apologize. I am used to the King, here, visiting me past dinner asking for food because he had to stay doing assignments. I’m the head chef, Siwon.”

Kyungsoo smiles kindly, “This is Jongin. He happened to skip dinner by accident.”

Siwon hums, picking up large knife and swinging it between his fingers calmly, not the least bit worried about his threateningly actions. “I assume this is human I keep hearing about from all the servants. They won’t shut up about it. I thought the rumor was a lie about the King having a human escort, but I suppose it is all true.”

“For once. Don’t always trust what they say. I heard the Queen’s lady-in-waiting mention to another that one of the horses in the stables was a dragon in disguise.” Kyungsoo shakes his head, sneaking a grape from a cluster that is in a wooden bowl. His full lips encompassed the diameter before popping the fruit into his mouth making his cheek poke out as he chews. Jongin swallows, forcing himself to look away as Kyungsoo leans over to grab another grape.

Siwon is giving Jongin a curious look when they meet eyes, but the chef just shakes his head and snaps his fingers. A flurry of servants place small platters in front of Jongin brimming with food. Jongin’s mouth salivates at the sight.

“Thank you,” he says before diving in and stuffing himself full.

Kyungsoo continues to talk to Siwon casually, making Jongin wonder how many times does he visit the kitchen. Did he have to skip many meals because he was preparing to become King? It makes Jongin feel slightly better than Kyungsoo was eating despite he looked thinner a couple of weeks ago.

When Jongin finishes, Kyungsoo takes him on a tour of the castle and giving a brief history of the ancient building.

“When Merlin cast the spell on the fae and erased the memory of Avalon, the castle was destroyed. Merlin wanted a new fresh start for the fae, and soon after they built this, a new castle. Remember how I said that there is a theory about Froh Hill is where Arthur protected the land with the Excalibur? Well, there is also belief that the castle of Avalon was built there, but there are no remains to back this up except for the off scatters of stone that were cut in the size to build some type of fortress.”

Kyungsoo guides Jongin up winding stairs that is dotted with lanterns on the walls. “This is the East wing. Up at the top is the watch tower. At the very bottom is the dungeon although it hasn’t been used in centuries for the purpose of a dungeon. I think it was changed into a cellar.” An odd placed door halfway up the steps juts out. Jongin skeptically watches Kyungsoo open it.

The door leads to an arched bridge outside. “This leads to the library, my personal favorite place.” Another door greets from the other end with a torch blazing beside it.

Jongin chuckles, “Why am I not surprised?”

Kyungsoo gives him a side smile over his shoulders. The bridge has no railing, so Jongin tries to walk carefully as he follows Kyungsoo while trying not to look down where if he was to fall over, he would surely fall to his death. “Over there,” Kyungsoo points to an adjacent building from the castle with only a few lights glowing through the windows, “is the servants’ quarters. And you can’t see it, but in front of it is the stables. The buildings dotting the field is where they keep some of the other animals. If you look down, you can see the courtroom.”

Jongin looks over the scenic view in awe. Green pastures and rich colorful gardens surround the half of the castle in a blanket of dark blue glow from the moon, but if you spin around, you can see the capital that would be bustling with life if it was daytime. “By no means it matches with beauty of Froh Hill, but is still breathtaking. And it’s all yours.” Jongin smiles softly at Kyungsoo.

The faery draws closer to Jongin, his eyes flashing something Jongin doesn’t understand. “I…” Kyungsoo starts out. His tongue dips over his bottom lip running over the seam. Jongin watches the movement; the mood changing so swiftly and drastically. His stomach drops, simmering with heat. Kyungsoo’s wings swishes forward and back.

Kyungsoo struggles with the words in his mouth, and Jongin steps closer leaning down to him help find them. His heart beats quickly in chest as he watches Kyungsoo’s eyelashes flutter across his cheeks before closing them tightly. Jongin has one last step to close the distance, but he lands wrong. His ankle caves in under his weight. His arms wave around to grapple for some type of support, but he forgot there was no railings.

Just as his body is taken by gravity and sent hurtling down, his fingers tangle in Kyungsoo’s tunic, tugging him after him. Kyungsoo opens his eyes wide at the force and gasps in surprise as he realizes they are plummeting to their death. Jongin’s scream is caught in the wind sliding into his lungs.

Jongin squeezes his eyes shut as their bodies connect together and Jongin’s arms bracket around Kyungsoo’s neck, his ankles locking around Kyungsoo’s waist. He waits for the impact of the ground, the sudden tightness in his chest until the rushing wind starts to feel like gentle caresses. His stomach that was starting to press into his ribs is now resting in its normal place while it feels like he is floating. Slowly, he peels one eye open. His vision is blurry as it adjusts to see white cloth. He opens the next eye, moving his eyes up until all he sees is a pearly, heart-shaped smile, gums flashing.

Kyungsoo’s eyes are curved, cheeks bunching up cutely. Jongin hesitates, caught by the surprise by the sight. Kyungsoo’s holding him with his arms looped around his back. His wings beat together, keeping them in the air. Below them is the capital, looking miniscule enough that he could crush the castle with his hand.

“We’re flying,” Jongin whispers. Kyungsoo looks back at him with sparkling eyes. “We’re really flying.” A harmonious tinkling laughter bubbles up Kyungsoo’s throat making Jongin’s toes tingle in warmth despite the chilly breeze. Jongin screeches as Kyungsoo dips down, and they go spiraling through the sky. “Kyungsoo!” He yells out in glee when Kyungsoo makes a sharp curve up, his wings curling around their bodies, enveloping Jongin in warmth so the cold won’t sting his chapped lips.

They soar around the city for a while with Jongin’s cheek pressed onto Kyungsoo’s. He can feel a smile stilling on his face the whole time. Sometimes laughter trickles out of his mouth when Jongin’s grip on him goes tighter because he flies too close to the ground or weaving in between seemingly tight spaces between buildings.

Eventually, Kyungsoo’s wings get tired of having an added weight and need to rest. Kyungsoo lands on a balcony. Jongin is slightly grateful for solid ground when his toes touch the floor.

“Thank you for that. The flying and the rescuing,” Jongin mumbles feeling suddenly shy when he meets Kyungsoo’s eyes. The whites of them reflecting the full moon. There is a soft expression on Kyungsoo’s face, one Jongin wants to name as fondness but that could be getting his hopes up. “Congratulations, by the way, on becoming the King. You’ll do great.”

“I hope so. My first task as King is to find a partner. It’s mandatory in fae law.”

Jongin coughs. His shoulders sag. “Oh.”

Kyungsoo breaks into a grin. “I’m kidding, Jongin. There’s no such law. The Queen never had a partner, and the King before her had a partner before he was even chosen.”

Jongin cross one arm, holding onto his elbow. “Are you going to get a partner though?”

The faery purses his full lips acting nonchalantly. “I really don’t have time to focus on things like that. I need to make sure Lyberium is completely safe before thinking about myself.”

Jongin bites his lip chewing on the delicate skin. He’s at war with wanting to know where he stands with Kyungsoo or allowing to give Kyungsoo space to focus on his country. But Jongin’s selfish and takes the leap. “Are you- t-that is to say, have you found someone yet, maybe?”

Kyungsoo takes a step back from Jongin, retreating. He shakes his head. “Jongin, I really don’t think-”

Jongin balls his hands into fists, shaking. “Just ‘yes’ or ‘no’, Kyungsoo. Not that hard.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes roam around wildly avoiding to look at Jongin. “It is hard.” He seethes through his teeth, jaw locking. “I can’t just drop everything for your every whim and desire, Jongin. I’m not a genie. I have all these responsibilities, but you always try to get me to push them aside by putting this ‘pity me’ look on your face. But I’m not buying it this time, Jongin.”

“I’m not asking you to pity me. I’m asking you to care for me!” Jongin shouts with his chest deflating and the day’s activities send a sneaky ache into his bones.

Kyungsoo shakes his head. And all of Jongin’s mind halts. The only thing being processed in his brain is the disappointment on Kyungsoo’s face. The color on Kyungsoo’s face is drained by the clouds covering the moon. “I thought you knew me better than that, but you prove me wrong.”

He starts to leave Jongin, but Jongin can’t let him have the last word. Not this time. “And I thought you knew me better!” He quips to Kyungsoo’s fading back. The faery doesn’t even acknowledge Jongin’s words, but continues walking. The sound of his boots echo in Jongin’s mind.

His thundering heart flutters in hope when Kyungsoo turns a quarter of the way to say quietly. “There’s a ball tomorrow. I’ll have new robes be sent to your room.” Then he was gone.

Jongin is left to find his way back to his room again with thoughts that weigh heavily on his brain.

  
  


 

Just like Kyungsoo promised, a new set of clothes were sent to his room. Jongin picks at the silk cloth admiring the lilac color and burgundy pants. A gold headband rests on top of the folded clothes. Chanyeol and Jongdae give him another tour of the castle, this one with less flying. They have to leave him though because they are on guard during the time of the banquet.

Jongin has a page draw his bath. He scrubs off all the dirt and grime embedded in his skin and under his nails. He scratches at his scalp. His hair has grown long since he last had it cut. He has the page find someone who knows their way around a pair of shears to cut his hair until it's dried in a mess of loose curls.

He puts on the clothes on. The silk shirt hugs his broad shoulders but is loose around his abdomen. He tucks the shirt into his pants, accentuating his slim hips. If he wanted to indulge in delusion, he would say Kyungsoo specifically chose this wardrobe for him. Instead, he hushes the voice in his head. He doesn’t want to think about the conversation he had with Kyungsoo yesterday. Only because he knows, he is partially in the wrong.

In his defense, Jongin grows older a lot faster than Kyungsoo, and doesn’t have much time to waste when Kyungsoo’s life lasts a lot longer. Yet, his childish actions were a little uncalled for. He won’t admit that either, but Kyungsoo still needs to see his point of view, loosen up a little bit.

Adjusting the gold headband over his head, Jongin opens his door of his bedroom to see the page waiting for him against the wall. “Sir Kim, I am to escort you to the banquet hall.”

Jongin snorts. “What? Does Kyungsoo think I would skip out on his precious ball?”

The page frowns, unsure how to respond. “King Kyungsoo requested all his guests are taken to the celebration.”

Jongin shakes his head. “Lead the way.”

The banquet hall is decorated with pink champagne drapes and twinkling candle lights. The room is dim despite the abundant candles. There’s a small orchestra over in the corner playing a lively song that has the mass of the faeries dancing in unison. Jongin spots Baekhyun twirling in crowd with Jongdae laughing over his shoulder.

“Jongin, you look divine.”

Jongin looks up to see the Queen in a dark, olive green gown. She smiles gently, all her wrinkles caressing her face with a timeless beauty.

“I should be saying that to you.”

The Queen chuckles. “Flattery won’t get you anywhere. However, I am in need of a good dancing partner.”

Jongin bows, offering his hand. “Then you are in luck.” He guides the Queen to the dance floor among the heavy throngs of skirts and floor length robes. He bows once more, as does she, and holds her hand in his.

“You are very young. Barely an adult in human years, isn’t that right?” The Queen converses as they dance to the song. “You must gain more patience. He needs time. Asking for constant attention will only bring him resentment towards himself if it causes him from being distracted if something bad ever occurs. He needs your help, but he won’t be willing to ask for it. Do you understand what I am telling you?”

Jongin raises an eyebrow, his gut constricting with the truth. “I think so.”

“You are not a bad dancer. When I was younger, before I became queen, I used to want a partner that could dance. I was never the greatest myself, but I had admiration for someone who could dance.”

“Did you ever find a dancer?”

The Queen shakes her head. “No, but I found a painter, and in my own opinion, I think that is much better. The way he painted was like dancing and is preserved it all in a painting that will last forever.” The song ends and everyone claps for the musicians. “Remember what I have told you. You will have to be brave soon and aid the King. This is your destiny.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, what happened to the painter?” Jongin waits as the Queen’s feeble arms tremble in his as her lips quiver for an answer.

Finally, her eyes ease into a peaceful expression. “Not everyone belongs with the one they love. There’s also sides to fae that you wouldn’t expect. I didn’t understand either at the time. Experiencing it, I had to learn at a young age at what it all meant. We all have roots, a connection with a past. And his came with many faces. Eventually, those faces consumed him. I kept him hidden, even when I became queen, until I realized he was a danger to my people and myself.”

Jongin can’t find a response to equal to the Queen’s mysterious tale, so he bows his head and whispers, “Thank you,” and hopes it gets across.

The Queen smiles and shakes her head. “No, thank you. Enjoy the rest of your evening while you can. One dance and I am completely exhausted.” She weaves through the throng of people and disappears in Jongin’s view point.

Jongin retrieves to the walls, standing by the wall of curtains that stretch from the ceiling to the floor in gold strands. At some point after watching multiple traditional dances in a hypnotizing state, a wine glass is handed to him full of a translucent golden liquid. Jongin sips on it periodically, licking his lips to savor the honey taste that dances on his palette.

He spots Kyungsoo finally after skimming through the crowd after a couple of times. Kyungsoo is dressed in sky blue with gold embellishments and a gold band around the crown of his head glittering with rubies. He dances with multiple partners throughout the night. His movements are purposeful, keeping a close enough distance with each person moving with precision.

Jongin watches with the pit of his stomach churning. So, he keeps drinking, hoping the sweet liquid will untie the knots. Each glass full, has his head feeling lighter, body swaying with the music, but the tangle in his stomach never eases.

“Jongin!” Jongdae catches sight of him while passing by. He grasps his sleeves to secure his place as his legs keep walking. Jongdae giggles, feeling loopy himself, Jongin notes. “J-Jongin, Jongin, Jongin, Jongin, you should dance… with us. Chanyeol is the best.”

Jongin widens his in skepticism. “Dance?

Jongdae laughs. “Come, come.” He grabs Jongin’s wrist, tugging him through the throngs of mingling faeries. Jongin trips over his own feet, snorting when he runs into Jongdae’s back. “Lookie boys, I found the human.”

Chanyeol wraps an arm around Jongdae’s shoulder pressing the side of his face into the crown of Jongdae’s hair. “I thought that we were moving on from that.”

“Just making an observation. Good soldiers do that.” Jongdae shouts, grinning proudly.

Baekhyun cocks his hip away from the two, standing near Jongin to separate himself. “Y-you guys are dumb.”

Chanyeol perks up, his tired eyes shining. “Ah, I love this song. Who wants the honor of dancing with me this time?” He switches the weight onto his feet impatiently.

Baekhyun flips his hair trying to do the movement elegantly, but he shifts all his hair to the other side messily. “You stepped on my feet las’ time.”

Jongdae tries to pry away from Chanyeol’s hold, “I don’t wanna dance with you either. Take Jongin, he’s less intoxicated.” He finally gets Chanyeol off of him and pushes him toward Jongin.

Chanyeol smiles widely down at Jongin. “Le’s go!” He bellows tumbling for the dance floor.

There’s less people on the floor making Jongin wonder how much time has passed and how many drinks he did have because his feet feel like lead. However, Chanyeol is waving like a madman at him, rushing Jongin to reach him. He makes these grabby hands at Jongin when he gets in arm’s length.

Jongin connects their hands, and Chanyeol automatically pulls him in a bow before he twirls Jongin around. Just like Baekhyun had said, Chanyeol steps on feet and dances very sloppily. He spreads his arms wide taking up at least two dance spots. Jongin keels over laughing, his shoulders shaking at the force as Chanyeol runs around him.

Something taps Jongin’s shoulder, and he straightens his back to look over his shoulder. Kyungsoo is giving him a small smile wringing his hands together. Jongin notices the unpleasant feeling that was bothering him earlier is back, more twisted than ever.

“Will you dance with me?” Kyungsoo asks.

Jongin’s eyes roam over to Chanyeol, who already is halfway back to where Jongdae and Baekhyun are standing. “Um,” Jongin chews on the inside of his cheek.

Kyungsoo looks down at his feet before glancing back up. “Tradition is you save the last dance for that, uh, special fae. Or I guess in this case, person.” A closed smile is back on his face.

Jongin hands go cold with sweat. “Okay.”

Kyungsoo places a hand on the small of Jongin’s back leading him to the middle of the ballroom floor. Kyungsoo laces their fingers together. The warm pads of his fingers curl over Jongin’s knuckles. Kyungsoo steps back, edging on his toes then draws closer while turning in a circle.

Jongin catches on, carefully memorizing the movements and following along. They waltz together in silence.

“I don’t know why you are still mad.” Kyungsoo finally breaks the awkward tension between them.

Jongin sighs, Kyungsoo dipping him with their chests pressed together. “You really can’t?”

“I control the earth, not read minds. You need to contact Luhan if that’s what you’re looking for.” Kyungsoo tells him, his ankle coiling around the slope of Jongin’s calf. Jongin scorns making Kyungsoo lock his jaw. “I simply mean that I don’t know Jongin. I’m out of my wits here.”

Jongin shakes his, “I…” He struggles to find the right words, his heart clenching. Kyungsoo stops spinning, but the world is still swaying in Jongin’s mind. “I’m scared, Kyungsoo. I’m really scared.”

Kyungsoo’s thick eyebrows squish together, a wrinkle forming. “About the grendels? I’m not going to let them hurt you.”

“Not about the grendels. About you, I mean, us,” Jongin admits, voice coming out softer and unsteady. “I’m scared I’m not enough. You have all these beautiful people surrounding you, some with powers and talents, and I… I don’t have anything to prove. I’m just a human. I don’t even have a pair of fucking wings which is ridiculous to be jealous about, but I would really like to be able to keep up with you hand in hand. All I have done is follow you around and obviously that bothers you, and I don’t mean to cause more problems. But all I’ve been is a burden.”

Kyungsoo licks his lips. “Do you…do you want to return?”

“Of course not.” Jongin closes his eyes, taking a deep breath before speaking. “I like this new life I have. Sometimes, though, I’m not sure where I fit in.”

Kyungsoo’s mouth drops down, his bow lips forming an ‘o’. “You…” The back of his hand reaches up to brush across Jongin’s cheek. Jongin leans into the touch. “I was told, that if it’s meant to be, Jongin, you will always find your way back to where you belong.”

  
  


 

After a few weeks of living in the palace, Jongin starts to know his way around. He can sneak to the kitchen at midnight in the pitch black without a candle clutched in his hand. He knows all three typical locations to find Baekhyun and Jongdae (since Chanyeol was sent to train troops in another town for a few weeks): their living quarters which is located in the north tower, the music hall where Baekhyun typically runs his fingers over the keys of a piano forte, the field or gardens where Baekhyun will play with sunlight while helping the plants grow, or their posts guarding the King.

Jongin likes to spend most of his days wandering out of the castle. Some days he’ll spend time observing daily trades in the market. Often, Joonmyun, a gripping scholar that hides out in the library, asks him to pick up parchment and ink or random dyes for him instead of him having to walk into sunlight.

Other days Jongin will roam the grounds, enjoying the peaceful garden where he can read a good book or walk in the fields where they keep most of the royal livestock. He met two cheerful shepherds within his first week at the palace, whom he visits often for their good company.

Today, Jongin brings a wrapped loaf and some cheeses for the two shepherds. He noticed how thin they were and wasn’t sure if they were being fed enough in the servants’ kitchen, so he tries to stuff them with food when he visits. Jongin makes the trek up the hills, checking each pasture to see which one his new friends are occupying today.

He waves his arms above his head when he spots them relaxing under the shade of a tree while their sheep around them graze. He hurries through the long grass over to where they are huddled.

“Jongin,” Luhan, a very pixie-like faery, smiles widely when he catches sight of him. Luhan has soft pink hair that curled over his eyes and a perfectly shaped oval face with pretty pink lips that stretches over his white teeth. When Jongin had first met him, the beauty of the faery struck him, but later realized Luhan had his own repulsing characteristics, like when he laughs or makes vulgar jokes.

“Hello, Luhan,” Jongin tosses the loaf at him, “Minseok.” And hands over the cheese.

Luhan salivates at the snack. His herding dog pokes up his head in interest, but Jongin scratches behind its ears distracting it enough to realize it doesn’t care. Minseok is another very pixie-like faery with lovely slanted eyes and a little nose and mouth to match his dainty features. Luhan likes to declare constantly how strong he is, but Minseok stays quiet and proves his inner strength with actions and masks Luhan’s actual weakness by his own eagerness to do the rough jobs for Luhan.

Minseok squints his eyes at Jongin unable to recognize his features in the glaring sun. He gratefully takes a slice of bread from Luhan, munching on the food with his cheeks bunching up. Luhan laughs and leans over to poke his puffed cheeks. Minseok glares at him, but hums happily as he chews.

“How’s it been?” Jongin settles into the ground, soft grass brushing his elbow.

Minseok swallows. “Luhan lost one of the lambs.”

Luhan huffs. “I didn’t see it! You would’ve done the same.”

Minseok raises an eyebrow. “I’ve managed these fields since I was twelve and have never managed to lose a single animal.”

“Not everyone can be a model shepherd like you,” Luhan mocks Minseok.

“How’d you not see one of your lambs?” Jongin asks, fingers digging into soil.

Minseok flings his arms in exasperation, “That’s what I’ve been saying. Tell him Luhan. Tell him the reason why.”

Luhan sends an annoyed glare at his fellow shepherd before bashfully admitting, “I was distracted by a butterfly.”

“A butterfly!” Minseok rips into another slice of bread aggressively, “Couldn’t believe it. I leave him for one day, and he can’t even handle that.”

“It was a rare kind of species!” Luhan defends.

“Whatever helps you avoid the goddess.” Minseok rolls his eyes. “Anyways, Jongin, how are you? Has the King talked to you?”

Jongin downcast his eyes. He’s seen Kyungsoo multiples times. After the ball, Kyungsoo seemed to be holed up in meetings with many important figures and Jongin didn’t get to see him at all. But then, there was one night when Jongin couldn’t sleep and went walking around the halls where he found Kyungsoo resting on the railing of a balcony, looking up at the moon.

“Why aren’t you asleep?” Kyungsoo asked not turning around to see who it even was.

Jongin stood beside him, mirroring his movements. “I’ve been having trouble sleeping.”

Kyungsoo turned to look at him, “Me neither. I just feel restless. I have so much to do, but not everything can be accomplished as quickly as I would like.”

Jongin shivered as a strong gust of wind blows. “It’s too chilly to stay out here though. You could get sick.”

Kyungsoo hummed and pressed their bodies together, shoulder to shoulder. “I’m not hot-blooded like you, Jongin.”

Jongin would like to point out Kyungsoo wouldn’t need to steal his warmth then, but he kept his lips together in a line and rested his chin atop Kyungsoo’s head. He still smelled like honeysuckles. “Back in the human world, I have a method to help me fall asleep.”

“What is it?”

Jongin grinned while Kyungsoo trailed after him to the kitchen. Jongin took out two cups and warmed a pot in the hearth and found some milk pouring it in the pot. He nurtures the milk by drizzling honey into it. He then took the drink and poured it into a cup for the both of them.

Kyungsoo cradled the glass carefully in his hands gazing at the content.

Jongin nudged him with his elbow. “Drink it.”

“Milk is used as a binder,” Kyungsoo said drawing the glass to his waiting lips.

“It will bind you to your subconscious.” Jongin smiled softly taking his own sip. “Feel better?”

Kyungsoo didn’t answer. Instead he walked out without a word. Jongin followed worriedly sucking in his bottom lip as Kyungsoo turned and entered his room. Jongin leaned against the frame of his door. “What are you doing?”

“Do you like your room?”

Jongin shrugged. “I guess. It’s just a room.”

“My room has too many distractions. All the luxurious items make me feel like I am caged rather at home. I like your room. It’s less… loud.”

Jongin headed over to his bed and sat on the covers. He patted the empty space beside him. “You’re welcome to come here whenever you want.”

Kyungsoo gave him the softest smile. The kind with his eyes curled up and you could see a sliver of happiness reflected in them. It made Jongin’s heart beat faster in his chest.

Since then, Jongin will fall asleep alone and wake up in the middle of the night to watch Kyungsoo lie down beside him without saying a word and rest his head against Jongin’s pillows. Their eyes will meet and Kyungsoo’s will flutter close as his breath evens out to a gentle lull. Jongin will caress the skin the moonlight cuts across Kyungsoo’s face, like his slender nose and the folding lines in his forehead before resting an arm across his waist and tugging him closer.

It all feels so intimate to Jongin, but he’s afraid to ask what it means. What will Kyungsoo say if Jongin confronts him about the way Kyungsoo’s lips will lift when Jongin tucks him under his chin? What will Jongin say if Kyungsoo asks why he always whines when cold toes press into his shins?

He feels like a child, tiptoeing around their relationship as if on creaking wooden floors while one sleeps across the room.

“No, nothing.”

Luhan stares at Minseok for second. “The King is an idiot.” Jongin’s eyes flash to Luhan. Luhan opens his palms defensively, “Not to be rude.”

Minseok grabs Luhan by his neck, and Luhan makes a strangled cry. “What Luhan means, is the King is still seemingly lacking in his communication area.”

Jongin lies on his back and tucks his arms behind his head. “I’m happy as long as he’s near me.” Minseok and Luhan share a look and later conspire against the human shoving him into a pond as they guide the sheep to a new pasture.

  
  


 

Sweat forms into tiny beads on his temple and catches on the grooves of his skin dripping down to hang below his jaw. Jongin pants, his lungs begging for a chance to breathe out cool crisp air and not the thick, dirt coated oxygen. He knees are wobbling with exertion, but he wills them to stay bent, poised, and ready to dodge an attack.

Tao pierces him with a cold stare. His long face frozen in a serious bout. His eyes are sharp and clear, lips pressed into a line, unlike Jongin who has forgotten how to inhale through his nostrils and is gasping for air. Tao lunges forward, sword delving straight towards Jongin’s side.

Jongin uses the weight of his body to propel him forward. His own sword knocks into Tao’s and his foot hooks on to Tao’s ankle, yanking him. Tao trips, but catches himself before he went sprawling on the ground. Jongin hears polite clapping, but he doesn’t face his audience. He’s been distracted too many times by Kyungsoo slipping by to watch part of Jongin’s training.

Weeks spent training with Yifan, Chanyeol, Jongdae, and Tao have taught Jongin to be alert and aware of his surroundings but never letting it become a distraction. Tao, the best at concentration, has a hawk-like vigilance. His eyes never stray far from the fight, always waiting on the balls of his feet for the next move. It’s quite impressive. Jongin has to admit.

He understands why he was chosen at the King’s personal guard. Tao won’t let anything pass him. Jongin thinks if Tao was in an action film, he’d be that resilient guy that keeps coming even though he’s been shot far too many times to be alive, let alone walking.

But Jongin has worked his way up to fight with Tao. Although he is by no means better than his other trainers, he does have something to prove that promoted him to Tao. Perhaps, he just needed the experience so he can at least know that there is competition this good, and the fighting styles are all different.

Chanyeol and Jongdae were trained together, and although practice similar moves, the execution is completely different. Jongdae is a relaxed fighter, slipping out of the way from all attacks. He preserves all his energy to the end until his opponent has become tired and shows signs of being weaker than him before he sends a raid of attacks.

Chanyeol, on the other hand, fights with all his heart. Chanyeol has a will to be the last man standing every time, and that passion sometimes makes him slip up making his movements sloppier as he tries to be quicker.

Yifan is somewhere a mixture of them all. He doesn’t use much energy unless he has to. His movements are calculated. He waits to the last second before he reacts and takes his opponent down by surprise. Tao is ferocious though. Jongin hates training and having to fight him. They’ll go round after round, each ending with Jongin coughing up dirt as he picks himself off the ground.

The only real progress he’s made with fighting Tao, is the length of the tournament. Tao used to be able to take Jongin down with just three moves, but now Jongin can last for a couple of minutes. Mostly it’s him avoiding, i.e. running away, but if it were a real fight, at least he’d live longer.

Tao sends daggers with his gaze at Jongin, making the human visibly gulp. He scrambles off his knees positioning his sword in front of his. Tao strikes forward. Jongin winces at the sound of their swords clashing against one another harshly. Tao pushes forth, a rage building up in the tightness of his features. A cold chill runs down Jongin’s back as his right heel slides in the earth. His shoulder aches from the blow he took earlier, but he’s used the familiar throb by now.

Another strike, and the vibrations of the blow shudders up Jongin’s arm. Tao smirks, mirth in his eyes as he steps closer, and Jongin’s knee gives in hitting the solid ground. Tao raises his arm up for the final swing, and Jongin flinches as his arm comes down. The flash of metal reflecting in the sunlight blinds Jongin for a moment.

A heavy intake. “Draw,” Jongdae announces. Jongin’s eyes flit to the sword paused beside his neck and his own arm stretched out holding the hilt tightly as it hovers above Tao’s shoulder.

Tao has disbelief written across his face, but a wry smile twists upon his lips when he confirms the result with a nod. Jongin draws back his sword and Tao reaches out a hand to help him off the ground. Jongin dusts off his legs when someone claps the space between his shoulder blades.

Jongin tenses up and sees Jongdae grinning wildly at him. “You did it!”

Jongin shies away from the hard hits Jongdae gives him. “It was only a draw. Not like I actually beat him.”

“Exactly,” Tao interjects.

Jongdae snorts. Chanyeol pulls Jongdae away noticing Jongin’s winced grimace. “Don’t be stupid. That’s probably the closest you will ever get.”

Kyungsoo smiles at Jongin proudly coming up from where he was sitting. He looks radiant today in a tight black shirt and olive-green tights with a gold belt. Jongin is simply proud he didn’t look over at him to just stare at the beauty that was resting in the sunlight. Kyungsoo still has not mentioned the secret night time visits, but there are moments Jongin wonders if Kyungsoo is about to bring it up because his mouth will open and close before deciding on another set of words.

However, any amount of time Jongin will take if he gets to spend it with Kyungsoo. His days seem to have increasingly become busier with responsibility. Luckily, Kyungsoo does sneak into Jongin’s room to sleep or else Jongin would end up accusing the other for not sleeping by the telltale signs of purple hinting under his eyes.

“He was going easy on you. But I am still impressed. You have a natural talent.”

“Did I just hear Kyungsoo, King of Lyberium and of Fae, praising someone?” Jongdae mocks.

Kyungsoo growls and twists his ankle. Jongdae sinks into the ground immediately. Jongdae glowers at the King, elbows resting in the grass.

Chanyeol shakes his head with no pity for his friend. “I forget he can do that.”

“Why don’t you take my place and see if you remember?” Jongdae spews ripping at the grass harshly.

Chanyeol thinks for a second then mutters, “Nope, nah. I’m good.”

“Oh, you’re good? That’s great. I’m so happy for you. Now, can you please get me out of the ground!” Jongdae shouts, his face turning red from all his attempts to get out.

“One sec.” Chanyeol blunders over to Kyungsoo. “Listen, Soo, Jongdae wants to know if you can help him out of his predicament.”

Kyungsoo casts a glance to where Jongdae is giving his best ‘hurt puppy’ look. “Hm, you know, I would. But I just used some of powers, and I’d really like to preserve my strength.”

Chanyeol nods with understanding. He squats down next to Jongdae. “Hey, so Kyungsoo said he can’t right now.”

Jongdae huffs. “I know, Chanyeol. I CAN HEAR EVERYTHING YOU HEAR.”

Chanyeol pouts indignantly turning his nose up away from Jongdae. “No need to take that kind of tone with me. I’ll tell Baek you stole his favorite robe and ruined it by accidentally pouring a potion you stole on it if you are not going to be nice to me.”

Jongin chuckles and turns back to Kyungsoo. “You know, I’ve never seen you dual.”

Kyungsoo runs a tongue over his lips. “Oh, you wouldn’t want me to.”

Jongin leans close to Kyungsoo where his breath is fanning Kyungsoo’s bangs. “If you are to protect your people, you must know how to fight.”

“I’ve been training with Tao since the day I came here. Are you suggesting I dual with you?” Kyungsoo’s lips tilt up, and his eyebrow cocks. “Are you willing to face defeat?”

“I faced it every day for the past month. Yes, I am willing.” Jongin grins boyishly, his canines poking out.

Kyungsoo brushes his fingers over where Tao had hit him earlier. Jongin winces, bringing the dull throb back to his memory. “Not today. You need time to heal. I have some salve that will help the process.”

Kyungsoo takes Jongin down into what Jongin would suppose is the dungeons and into a little room. In the room, there are shelves full of labeled vials and containers of random objects and liquids. Jongin feels his stomach go queasy when he passes by deer eyes that follow his movements. In the middle of the room is an empty cauldron. To the side and simmering under a smokeless fire, one that must have been conjured up by a spell, is another cauldron full of a thick purple liquid.

Jongin wrinkles nose at the smell that is extruding from it. “What is this?” He points to the pot.

“An elixir. Don’t touch!” Kyungsoo shouts pulling Jongin’s hand away from the pot. “I’ve been working on it for months. It’s the most complicated and dangerous potion I have ever done.”

“Dangerous?” Jongin peers the purple liquid that blows a bubble popping at the surface.

“It’s illegal. A fae found attempting to make it can be sentenced to death.”

Jongin swallows nervously wringing his hands. “Why is it illegal?”

“The last ingredient it needs is a faery’s blood. A Faery’s blood holds more magic than anything in the world and is considered sacred. To cut oneself or harm another is a crime.” Kyungsoo explains with an even look.

He taps his chin looking around the room and begins searching in the cabinets for something, letting an ‘aha’ escape his lips as he reaches up. But he can’t reach. Kyungsoo leans on his tiptoes, his tucked in shirt starts to ride up allowing Jongin to feast upon the sliver of skin. Jongin comes up behind him and tugs the shirt down with one hand and wraps his free hand around a jar. Kyungsoo gasps and shivers when Jongin’s knuckles brush across his bare skin.

Kyungsoo turns around slowly, his fingers dance across the collar of Jongin’s shirt. He tugs it down Jongin’s shoulder revealing his collarbone and toned shoulder. Jongin’s head rolls to the side exposing more of his neck to Kyungsoo, who sucks in a breath. Their fingers brush across one another lingering longer than Jongin thinks is normal.

They are so close. Their toes are flushed together, chests only inches apart. Jongin can see the flecks of gold in Kyungsoo’s eyes and his own reflection looking back at him. He doesn’t realize he’s been edging closer until his reflection disappears behind Kyungsoo’s fluttering eyelids. Their noses brush together and Jongin’s unsteady breath sweeps across Kyungsoo’s cheek.

Kyungsoo’s fingers wrap around Jongin’s bicep. He hesitates, pausing to look for any uncertainty in Kyungsoo’s features. He must have been taking a long time looking for an answer because Kyungsoo opens his eyes again wide. He angles his chin, his lips skimming Jongin’s for a brief second. Then he is pressing in deeply.

Jongin’s brain goes a little frazzled, inhaling deeply and smelling the sweet aroma Kyungsoo always has. Kyungsoo has Jongin’s top lip in between the both of his, his mouth moving against Jongin’s in tandem. It’s sweet and sensual. Jongin tries to savor the soft press of Kyungsoo’s lips on his before they are separating.

“What are we doing?” Jongin mumbles against Kyungsoo’s soft cheek.

Kyungsoo trails his nose down the human’s jaw before looking straight into Jongin’s eyes with complete seriousness and no regrets reflecting in the silver orbs.

“Something we should have done a while ago.” He pecks Jongin once more.

Jongin runs his tongues over his lips, tasting the faintest of Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo watches the movement with a heavy stare. He tries to wedge himself up on the counter, and Jongin flattens his palms against the backside of Kyungsoo’s thighs, sparing a thought for how firm and warm they felt under the pressure of his fingers. He lifts Kyungsoo up on the table and Kyungsoo’s leaning back down capturing Jongin in another kiss at the new angle.

Jongin’s heart hammers loudly in his ears. So loud he hardly registers the faint sound of a lid popping off. He’s too busy dusting his thumb across Kyungsoo’s jaw, his other fingers press into his neck enjoying the quick pulse underneath Kyungsoo’s supple skin.

Kyungsoo’s hand comes around and massages a cool gel onto his bruised shoulder. Jongin jerks back seething looking wildly around to see Kyungsoo’s digits coated in a lavender scrub. “It stings,” Jongin whispers.

Kyungsoo hushes him with his lips, pecking the skin until Jongin is focused back on slipping his tongue inside Kyungsoo’s mouth. He wills away thoughts about the icy burn occurring on his shoulder and nips on Kyungsoo’s bottom lip, nibbling on the skin. Kyungsoo pulls away only to dip down and scrape scorching kisses down the column of his neck. Jongin whimpers when Kyungsoo sinks his teeth at one particular spot and sucks. He repeats this motion as Jongin’s hands trail up and down the expanse of Kyungsoo’s thighs, loving the way they flex under the thin fabric.

“There you- oh,” Baekhyun’s cheery voice breaks their contact.

Jongin turns to see Baekhyun standing in the doorway with teasing grin on his face as if he just discovered treasure. He groans tugging the collar of his shirt back over his shoulder noticing the pain already residing.

Kyungsoo hops down from the counter and hands Jongin the jar of salve to put back in the cabinet for him. “Did you need something?”

“Well,” Baekhyun rubs the back of his neck, still smugly looking at the both of them, “I would like to have Jongdae pulled out of the ground. I’m not sure how much more complaining I can take.”

Kyungsoo grumbles, “Fine, I hope he’s learned his lesson.” He walks by Baekhyun squinting his eyes at him when Baekhyun makes obscene faces at Jongin. “If you mention what you saw, you and Jongdae will find yourself in the ground.”

Baekhyun pretends to seal his lips with an invisible lock and sends a wink at Jongin before spinning around on his heels.

  
  


 

“You _kissed?!_ ” Luhan shouts scaring some of the sheep herding around him. Minseok slaps a hand over Luhan’s mouth and gives an apologetic smile to his sheep despite the animals not being able to understand anything.

Jongin blushes. “Yes.”

“Is he good?” Luhan asks. Minseok smacks the back of his head. “What? It’s a viable question. He is a pretty well-rounded dude. If  he can kiss good also, it just isn’t fair. I could have at least that over him if he sucks.”

“What gives you the authority to judge your own kissing?” Minseok points out.

Luhan sends a subtle wink to the faery that makes a faint shade of pink appear under the pale apple of his cheeks.

Jongin makes a gagging sound. “I don’t even want to know what that means.”

Minseok shoots a glare at him. “You’re too young to know what that means.”

Luhan gets distracted by something in the distance, “Someone is coming towards us.”

“Who?” Minseok turns his head to where Luhan is indicating to. A rider on a horse is galloping to them. The rider’s cloak waves with the wind running through it.

Jongin gets off the ground, followed by Minseok and Luhan. The two shepherds bow when the rider comes closer, slowing his horse to a trot.

“Your Highness,” they address.

Kyungsoo, today in a dark blue tunic that contrasts nicely against his skin, smiles down at them charmingly. “You may rise. Jongin, care to ride with me?” Kyungsoo holds out an arm, his invitation sending butterflies in Jongin’s stomach.

“I’d be honored.” he says goodbye to his friends, “I will be seeing you.” He grasps Kyungsoo’s forearm and hoists himself up by the stirrup. He situates onto the saddle, his chest snug against Kyungsoo’s back.

“Details!” Luhan shouts before getting smacked again by Minseok.

Jongin laughs waving goodbye as Kyungsoo urges his horse forward. His arm wraps around Kyungsoo’s abdomen feeling the muscles underneath the light fabric under his palm. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“I wanted to see if it was true. Baekhyun told me you’ve been hanging out with some of the workers.” Kyungsoo glances over his shoulder to look at Jongin.

“So, you took time out of your busy day to come see if I am hanging out with other attractive faeries. How considerate of you, Your Highness.” Jongin rests his cheek against the plane of Kyungsoo’s back. He shuts his eyes closed trying to hear lulling thudding of the faery’s heart.

“I got out of my meeting earlier than expected. I need some fresh air anyways, so it was just convenient.”

Jongin’s cheeks bunch up, a rumbling chuckle resounding above the clattering of the horse’s hooves pressing prints into the dirt. “Right,” Jongin drawls, unconvinced.

“What was the one shepherd saying, when we left?”

“Oh, Luhan? He’s just being annoying.”

“It’s weird that he’s a shepherd.” Kyungsoo muses.

“Why?” Jongin digs his chin into Kyungsoo’s shoulder, but with the way the horse is galloping, his shoulder knocks into his jaw and sends a shot of pain. He groans, going back to his previous position.

“He can read minds. Normally, when you ask for a job with the palace, you will meet with the Queen or King briefly. There’s this connection with all past monarchy that can tell if they have special gifts. I suppose Luhan must’ve specifically asked to work as a shepherd.”

 _Why would he do that?_ Jongin thinks. “Does Minseok have any powers?”

Kyungsoo eases the horse from its paced run. “No. His family’s been working for the palace for centuries from what I know.” He draws the horse to stand near a clear pond that has little bunnies with wings dunking their heads under the surface. Jongin coos at the sight.

Jongin slides off the saddle, and helps Kyungsoo down. “Where are we?”

“Not too far from the unicorn pasture.”

Jongin whirls around. “You have unicorns?”

Kyungsoo gives him a strange look. “Of course. Their horns have a special component that’s good for making strong potions.”

“Through and through, you are the potions master.” Jongin smiles petting the horse’s mane.

“It helps me relax now when I get the chance to make potions. I’m not a master yet, Jongin. I can’t make new potions. I have to follow a recipe.” Kyungsoo tells him. He reaches in the bag that’s attached to the saddle and pulls out a blanket and some packed snacks.

Jongin cheers when he sees pudding in one of the jars Kyungsoo takes out. “Have you tried?”

“Tried what?”

“To make your own potions.”

“Oh,” Kyungsoo sits down, crossing his legs. “Once, when I was younger. I made a potion to turn Baekhyun purple. He still has this one patch on the underside of his knee that is still purple that refuses to go back to his normal skin tone no matter what antidote I give him.

“I haven’t tried since then. When Baekhyun’s mother found out, she had yelled at me so much that it scared me from trying to make my own remedies. If I ever see her, she glares at me for what I’ve done.”

Jongin plops down beside Kyungsoo. “You should try it. You’d be good.”

“I…I’ve been working on a really powerful potion. The biggest and most complicated potion I’ve ever dealt with. The ingredients were really hard to come by. The potion recipe itself took me years to find it. It’s almost finished. Just a couple of more days.” Kyungsoo hands Jongin the jar of pudding, letting their fingers scrape together.

Jongin smacks his lips together in excitement at the prospect of pudding. When Siwon had made it for the first time weeks again, Jongin was overjoyed that Kyungsoo has it requested at least once a week for him. “What does it do? Is it a love potion?” He stares suspiciously at Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo flushes, “That’s juvenile, Jongin. I am the King of Lyberium. What would the people say if they heard the King is trifling with such simple-minded potions?”

“Probably something along the lines of how simple minded and lonely the King is.” Jongin smirks taking a bite of his pudding.

Kyungsoo goes serious when he says, “I’m telling Siwon to never make pudding again.”

“No! please! It’s one of the few things that remind me of the human world.” Jongin pleads with a pout.

Kyungsoo becomes solemn. “Do you miss it?”

Jongin thinks before shrugging. “Sometimes. I’m sure my sisters miss me. I wonder how much time has passed there or how much has changed.”

“After all this is over, we should visit. Just to check on them.”

Jongin widens his eyes at Kyungsoo. “You would come with me?”

Kyungsoo nods, “I’ve been there before. Besides, I’d like to see the world you live in, in person, rather than having to hide and peer in through the windows.”

“Is that what you did before? That’s really weird, Kyungsoo.”

“I was just making sure you were okay! I didn’t do it often,” Kyungsoo whines in defense.

“Okay, sure,” Jongin says noncommittally.

Kyungsoo looks to the sky and sighs. “We should probably get back to the castle. I have a few things to do before the sun goes down.”

Jongin starts to help gather their little picnic with Kyungsoo. “Hey, Soo?”

Kyungsoo turns to him, pausing.

“Can I kiss you?”

Kyungsoo’s face remains neutral. “You didn’t ask before.”

“Yeah, well,” Jongin clenches his fist nervously, “It didn’t go with the flow of the conversation.”

“And it does now?” Kyungsoo skeptically raises an eyebrow.

Jongin gives a sheepish smile. “Not really, but I want to ask in case you and I are on different pages.”

“What page are you on?” Kyungsoo takes a step closer.

Jongin closes the distance, the magnetic pull between them has his stomach churning. “The page where I really want to kiss you right now.”

  
  


 

Kyungsoo slides his hand to the back of Jongin’s neck. “Me too.” His breath ghosts over Jongin’s twitching lips and kisses him sweetly.

Their backs dip into a formal bow before poising their weapons. Jongin lifts his chin to see the steel gaze of those silver eyes. Kyungsoo blows a quick kiss to him. The curve of Kyungsoo’s mouth deepen to one side in a cocky smile. Jongin, momentarily stunned, is taken aback when Kyungsoo lunges forward, his sword pointing straight for Jongin’s heart.

 _Ironic_ , Jongin thinks as he blocks the move. Kyungsoo swings up and slices the air between them. Jongin’s bangs rustle from the passing wind. Jongin quickly runs to the side and jumps up on a rock. Kyungsoo swipes at his feet, chasing after him. Jongin hops at the exact time to avoid having his ankle sliced open.

He knows Kyungsoo wouldn’t hurt him on purpose, but he has this dead set look in his eyes that has Jongin wanting to cower in a corner. It’s different than Tao. He is used to the that kind of look in Tao’s eyes, but Kyungsoo’s are softer, only ever pulled tight by stress and lack of sleep.

Kyungsoo attacks are blunt, no more and no less of his movements. He aims for the vital points, immediately trying to weaken his opponent. Kyungsoo waits for an opening, even if it’s for a second, he accurately strikes. Jongin is starting to sweat within the first few minutes because he has always had to guard himself, nervous where Kyungsoo will go next.

Jongin had hoped there would be some amusement in their fight, but Kyungsoo is completely serious. His facial expression never slips unlike Jongin, who tries to send tired smiles at Kyungsoo in hopes that he’ll ease up on him.

“Focus, Jongin!” Tao instructs him watching from the sidelines with Chanyeol and Jongdae.

Jongin grunts in acknowledgement and rolls his shoulders.

Kyungsoo is crouched like a predator ready to pounce. Kyungsoo breaks his rigid expression to smirk. Jongin takes this chance of his broken focus to charge forward. Kyungsoo stumbles back, shocked.

Jongin smugly grins and jabs at him again. Kyungsoo regains his footing, and their swords clash with sharp clangs of metal. The sound keeps Jongin anticipating the next one. Kyungsoo uses force to push against him, but Jongin rebuttals by shifting to the other side.

“Nice,” Tao says in his own form of cheering without any enthusiasm.

Kyungsoo growls, frustration visible on the forming frown on his forehead.

Jongin feels a small victory, but it is over quickly when Kyungsoo steps closer. Jongin is attacked with an onslaught of tactical moves. Some, that he’s seen Tao do and try to teach him. Jongin tries to stand his ground but with a flurry of movements, Kyungsoo manages to twist his wrist and knock Jongin’s sword out of his hand. Jongin stands aghast as Kyungsoo leans to brush his mouth over the shell of Jongin’s ear.

“Checkmate,” he whispers, lip dragging over the sensitive skin.

Heat pools in Jongin’s gut. He pushes away all thoughts about Kyungsoo and lips and kissing.

Tao has his arms crossed over his chest. “You did good, Jongin. Especially since it was your first time fighting with Kyungsoo.”

“Could’ve done better,” Jongin mumbles, swiping another slash of defeat on his invisible scoreboard.

“You’ve shown a lot of improvements and adaptability. If you were a faery, I’d suggest joining the guard. They could use a quick learner like yourself. Although, I have to boast that the only reason you’re so good is because of my impeccable training and not those tyrants that run the camps.” Tao breaks out into a little smile, his thin lips curling like a feline.

“Good morning, everyone!” Baekhyun drops down to the ground from above. He holds a stack of books in his hand and waves with his free hand.

Jongdae sighs when Baekhyun slides up beside him and links their arms together, but Jongdae leans into the touch nevertheless.

“Morning,” Tao rumbles, moving to stand behind Kyungsoo’s flank.

“So, a little bird told me that today is our little human’s birthday.” Baekhyun dumps his books in Chanyeol’s arms to run up and pinch Jongin’s cheeks with his fingers.

Jongin swats at his grabby hands. “No, it’s not. My birthday isn’t for another couple months.”

Baekhyun skips back over to Jongdae sticking his tongue out at him, “Time moves faster in the human world, remember? Jinri told me yesterday, I guess she is a still attached to you Jongin. Apparently, she was in town to visit her-”

“Wait,” Kyungsoo stops him. “How does she know that?”

“Calculated it, probably,” Jongin shrugs, slightly weirded out that Jinri knows that much about him.

Kyungsoo chews his lip. “Doubtful. Only high-level astrologists can calculate things like that. She’s a botanist. There’s no way she would know that unless she went through the gate.” Kyungsoo gasps, head snapping up.

A chain of events occur in a blink of an eye. Three men dressed in chainmail and leather apparel appear walking quickly towards them. They greet Kyungsoo with bows, and Tao stands tersely behind him.

“Your Highness, grendels have breached our gate.” One of the men says.

Kyungsoo locks his jaw, eyes hardening in a flash. “Which one?”

“The north, sir.”

Kyungsoo curses, “Feipal! Get your men ready, General. We have at least three days before they get to castle. We have to be prepared then. I want the towns in the north creating a blockade up at Lythm and try to slow it down before they reach the capital.” The more Kyungsoo talks, the more strained he sounds. His hands start shaking, locked together.

Jongin wants to step forward and wrap his smaller hand in his own. But Kyungsoo seems so distant despite the few feet that separates them.

“Your Highness,” one of the men has his head bowed when he addresses Kyungsoo. “There was word from one of the soldiers. He says we are outnumbered. If we get all troops we have stationed in between here and there, we’d might have a chance but it’s still thin.”

“Do it,” Kyungsoo articulates with venom. “We will not let them defeat us.”

“King,” the man opens his mouth.

“Do you hear what I am saying?” Kyungsoo bellows, his silver eyes slowly turning darker. His tone is deep and sharp, it cuts through the tension in the air.

“Yes, sir.”

“Then obey your King. Go.” Kyungsoo sends them away and starts pacing.

“Kyungsoo…” Jongin tries steadily.

Kyungsoo looks up at him with such tired eyes, but as quickly as it came it was gone replaced with a hardness Jongin can’t ever seem to breakthrough.

“Not now, Jongin. Tao, come with me.” He spares one last glance at Jongin before leaving him behind with Tao by his side.

Jongin feels a stinging behind his eyes. He bites his lip to distract the pain he feels. He wants to reach out and pull Kyungsoo in a tight hug until it all ends. However, he now realizes Kyungsoo doesn’t need him to comfort. He’s been carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders for months, and no matter how hard Jongin will try to ease that burden, Kyungsoo is dead set on carrying it all himself.

He shouldn’t be hurt by it. Jongin wasn’t chosen nor did he choose to take up that role, but he had hoped Kyungsoo trusted him enough by now to at least let him be there for him when he needs a comforting presence, something constant and warm. A shoulder he can rest his head on.

He had thought learning how to fight would prove to himself and to Kyungsoo that he can protect the both of them. Clearly, Kyungsoo can take care of himself, and he will always have Tao by his side if he’s weak. Jongin thought that their kiss meant that finally Kyungsoo has accepted him, allowed him to enter his world. Yet, why does he feel worlds apart from him.

Jongin goes to bed that night thinking Kyungsoo won’t show up. He’s probably too busy with preparations of a battle since he didn’t even bother come to the dining hall for dinner. All day men and women were running around the castle while Jongin did helplessly nothing. Even Baekhyun shoved him out of his room so he could prepare exploding potions.

Jongin doesn’t know how long he’s been asleep when he wakes up with his body wrapped up in the sheets from thrashing around. His vision is blurry, but he recognizes a pair of legs standing in front of him. A hand wraps around his shoulder. Kyungsoo.

Jongin rolls over to the other side ignoring a whisper he can’t process just yet. Jongin settles in the sheets before something is ripping of the blankets off his body, exposing his bare torso. Jongin sits up and wildly looks at an expectant Kyungsoo.

“Get up and get dressed.” Kyungsoo simply tells him. He tosses a set of clothes that he must’ve laid out on the chaise at Jongin.

Jongin fumbles with the shirt, struggling to get it over his head. “What’s going on?” Jongin asks.

“We’re leaving,” is the only explanation Kyungsoo gives as Jongin dresses. Kyungsoo ushers him out the door, hushing him when he begins to question their actions again. He hands Jongin a light satchel to throw over his shoulder as they enter the hall. Tao is standing outside the door in leathery armory. He is expressionless when he sees Jongin and leads them down the hall and down a set of stairs.

They swiftly and deftly head for the stables and Tao quickly has a stable boy prepare a horse for all of them. Jongin nervously hops up on a black stallion, never ridden a horse by himself before. Jongin scratches the horse’s neck, waiting for Tao to get on his own steed before they are all ready to leave.

“It’s time,” Kyungsoo says.

Tao nods, and nudges his horse to gallop out of the stable and down the cobblestone road. Kyungsoo clucks his tongue following after Tao. Jongin urges his horse to go after them choking on oxygen when it surges forward. He keeps a close distance to Kyungsoo and Tao. Their horses’ hooves steps create an echo through the silent and empty streets of the capital.

Jongin pulls his jacket closer to his body at the passing wind sends chills down his skin. His fingers tighten over the reins, as he starts to get used to the jerking motion of riding a horse. They pass the gate of the capital, and the landscape becomes more rural with dirt roads and sparse houses.

They ride for what Jongin assumes a couple of hours from the numbing feeling in his thighs. The sky is clear and millions of stars dot the night sky. Sometimes Jongin blinks, catching a star moving. He wonders if he’s seeing the star fae Kyungsoo had told him from what feels like so long ago. He glances over at Kyungsoo to see him facing the stars and he hopes Kyungsoo shares the same thought.

Tao finally stops them after they enter the forest and are traveling by a little river. “I suggest we stop here before the forest gets thicker. Also, should get the horses some water. I’m not sure how long it will be before we are near another fresh body of water.” He swings his leg over the horse gracefully and landing in the dampened leaves.

“Jongin, find me some dry sticks for a fire,” Tao orders, already working on the buckles on one of the bags at the side of his horse. “I’ll set up the tents.”

Kyungsoo gives Jongin a small smile before leading their horses to the river. Jongin wanders not too far for dry sticks and branches. It’s a bit harder than he expected since the dew already had fallen. After Jongin has gathered an armful of wood, he sets them up in a pyramid formation.

Tao hands him a flint stone from his bag while he finishes stringing up the last tent. After a couple of tries, Jongin gets a fire lit and growing into a sizeable heat source. Jongin warms his chilled knuckles waving them over the orange haze.

“Is someone going to tell me what’s going on?” Jongin finally breaks the silence when Kyungsoo squats down next to the fire.

Tao turns to Kyungsoo with cocked eyebrow. Kyungsoo sighs, his shoulders sagging as if a weight is dragging them down. “Sit down, and I’ll tell you.”

And after they have fish cooked over the fire and stew warming the inside of their bellies, does Kyungsoo explain.

“This morning when we found out Jinri opened the gate, she weakened the spell that protects our world from Unseelie. The barrier is damaged. It’s damaged enough for grendels to come through and create an army.”

“So, they are heading to the castle?” Jongin’s heart sinks, and crashes. It’s like he’s been dreaming and is suddenly awaken, forced to face the harsh reality.

“If they kill me, the spell will be broken releasing the Unseelie and they will take over the country and probably the human world.” Kyungsoo says it impassive. Jongin clenches his fist. “I’d known for a while that they will get through and when they do, we won’t be able to defeat them on just numbers. They are too strong for us.

“Last time faeries were at war, Merlin was alive and he was able to protect everyone with magic. We don’t have that this time. I’ve been doing research the past few weeks, and there’s only one person that is still alive from that time and might be able to help us.”

“Who is it?” Jongin presses.

“Lady of the Lake,” Kyungsoo murmurs, voice barely audible over the crackle of the fire. “She had told Arthur where to find the Excalibur. That is the only sword strong enough to cleanly cut through the grendels thick skin. She may know where it’s at now.”

Jongin’s jaw drops. The Lady of the Lake, he had known to be a myth in Literature. The again, Kyungsoo is supposed to be a myth but he’s in arm’s reach of Jongin, his wings shimmering in yellow from the fire. “W-why did you take me along? Baekhyun or even Chanyeol would have been a better choice.”

The orange glow of the reflects in the vulnerability shining in Kyungsoo’s silver orbs. “Because I couldn’t lose you. Every moment apart, knowing that there’s a dangerous threat looming over the castle, I’d be worrying if you were okay. If something was to happen to you, I would never-” Kyungsoo shudders, “I can’t let that happen. At least with you here, I know you’re okay.”

Jongin gasps. He’s never seen so much emotion pass over Kyungsoo’s face. He thinks if Kyungsoo was hurt, how would he feel, and he understands how he would feel purposeless, a cold emptiness settling into the bones of his body. Jongin wants to cross the distance between them and make it known to Kyungsoo that he’s there. He’s not leaving. Nothing can separate him from Kyungsoo anymore.

The realization hits Jongin hard. He can’t tear his eyes away from the ethereal sight in front of him. All he wants is for Kyungsoo to be safe, to be happy. That’s what love, yes, _love,_ does. It keeps you tied to the person, and if the love is pure, it will take a supernatural force to cut through that bond. And Jongin is so in love with Kyungsoo. So much that it aches.

He tries to blink away the sudden sting behind his blurry eyes. Jongin clears his throat and focuses back to the fire. Perhaps he can pass the sudden tears to be due from the ashes swirling in the air and the harsh glare from the flames. “So, what’s the plan. How far is the Lady of the Lake?”

Tao curtly responds, “We leave early tomorrow morning. If we ride through the whole day, we will make to the cave where she supposedly lived before sun down.”

“I guess that means we will need our rest.” Jongin stands idly and looks to the tent. There’s only two.

Tao promises to take watch and sleep out in the open, but Kyungsoo stops him.

“You need your rest Tao. I need you to be in good spirits. Take the tent. There’s plenty of room for Jongin and I in my tent.” He commands assuredly.

Tao begins to argue, but the King sends him a sharp glare, one not even Tao can cross. Tao shuts his mouth. He takes out his sword and begins the process of sharpening it.

Jongin bites his lip, chewing in thought.

“Jongin,” Kyungsoo calls out softly. He ushers him to the larger of the two tents, and Jongin goes inside silently, feeling nervous. He shouldn’t because he’s slept with Kyungsoo many times before, but this will be the first time with Jongin knowing he’s in love with the faery. He should’ve known before, but the thought has never really occurred to him. Even when he’s kissed Kyungsoo, he’s known he liked the faery, but the feeling is far past some school crush. It sends nervous tingles down his body.

Jongin holds the tent flap for Kyungsoo to enter. He enters to see Kyungsoo trying to undo the ties of his leather armor. “Need help?” Jongin offers.

Kyungsoo scoots over towards him and Jongin’s fingers immediately starts unweaving the laces. His fingertips brush against the Kyungsoo’s hip where his shirt had hung loosely around. Kyungsoo shivers at the touch, his wings fluttering against Jongin’s shoulder.

“I lied.” Kyungsoo whispers. “I also brought you along because I wanted more time with you. If the world is going to end, I want to spend the last moments of my life happy and with you.”

Jongin swallows and tips his head forward to brush his upper lip against the smooth curves of Kyungsoo’s mouth. Jongin finds Kyungsoo’s hand in the folds of the cotton sheets and places it over his chest where his heart is thrumming erratically in his ribcage. Kyungsoo opens his eyes, his brow pulling together to form a question.

“It’s not going to end.” Jongin’s breath dusts across Kyungsoo’s chin as he presses their foreheads together, “Because I have the whole rest of my life that I am going to spend with you.”

Kyungsoo’s face is unreadable. Jongin drops Kyungsoo hand and tucks his feet under his thighs to sit on his heels. The silence feels like it lasts forever. He coughs into the palm of his hand and sheepishly looks away going back to chew his lip again. As if the silence crescendos and Kyungsoo surges forward capturing Jongin in a passionate kiss. Their lips mold together moving in a rhythm of soaring violins and soothing, solid beats of the drum. Kyungsoo wraps his arms around Jongin’s neck, cradling the back of his head and carding his hands through Jongin’s hair.

His blunt nails scratch against Jongin’s scalp. Jongin’s mouth drops at the feeling and Kyungsoo snakes his tongue in Jongin’s mouth, licking and glossing over the delicate tissue of Jongin’s lip. Jongin moans when their tongues meet gliding over the wet appendage.

“I never told you happy birthday.” Kyungsoo’s warm breath dusts over Jongin’s spit slicked lip. “If you were not in my life…”

“If I stayed my world in the first place.” Jongin chuckles, closing his eyes basking in the closeness of their bodies.

He feels Kyungsoo shakes his head before leaning forward and ghosting over Jongin’s waiting mouth. “This is our world.” Jongin meets Kyungsoo’s fervent kiss, sucking the plump lip in between his teeth.

Jongin’s hands travel to Kyungsoo’s hips, lifting his shirt up so he can roam over the firm muscles rippling under the heated planes of skin. He trails his index fingers up the ridges of Kyungsoo’s ribs to his buds and tweaks his nipples with a twist watching it pebble against his touch. Kyungsoo moans, eyes flashing white before falling into a half-lidded, sultry expression.

Jongin removes Kyungsoo’s shirt and takes a moment to admire the hard, full edges of his body. Kyungsoo smiles under his gaze, helping Jongin to take off his own clothing. Kyungsoo hums appreciatively when the expanse of sun-kissed skin is revealed. He places his hands on Jongin’s shoulder and pushes him down into the sheets.

Kyungsoo runs his hands down Jongin’s sides, making him squirm when he passes his ticklish spot. When Kyungsoo grips Jongin’s hips, Jongin’s legs spread apart on instinct, wide enough for Kyungsoo to fit between them. He crawls over to plant kisses from the tip of Jongin’s nose down to his collarbone where he bites then laves over with a tongue.

Jongin lets out a raspy breath when something puts pressure on his half-hard erection. He doesn’t get to see what it is because he squeezes eyes shut and arching his back when Kyungsoo teases his dusty buds with little sweeps of his tongue and puts his whole mouth around, sucking hard. Jongin’s hips buck into the pressure, needing more friction for the building heat that is quickly coasting down his spine and pooling into his gut as Kyungsoo moves over to the other nipple.

Suddenly, Kyungsoo’s toying with his nipples stop. Jongin roams to see Kyungsoo tugging off the rest of his clothing. Jongin places a present hand on his wrist to capture his attention.

“I…I don’t want to go further.” Kyungsoo’s face falls, and Jongin scrambles up with a mess of words, “I don't want to do anything with somebody who doesn't love me.”

Kyungsoo cups the side of Jongin’s face in his hand. The younger leans into his touch. “Who said I don’t love you?” He smiles fully and so beautifully that Jongin’s breath gets caught in his throat. Kyungsoo eases him back down, looping his hands under the band of his pants.

Jongin feels Kyungsoo’s heavy stare on him when he is bare and no longer has something to hide behind. No one has ever seen him like this. It’s a frightening and intimate discovery. Jongin tries to cover himself up, but Kyungsoo slaps his hands away, caressing the sides of his thighs.

“You are beautiful, Jongin.” Kyungsoo leans over to sensually slide his lips over Jongin’s.

Jongin reaches over Kyungsoo to pet the silky texture of Kyungsoo’s wings. Jongin giggles when Kyungsoo’s head falls onto his shoulder in a moan. “I didn’t know you were so sensitive there.” He continues to rub circles into the sensitive area.

Kyungsoo starts to rock into Jongin. Their cocks rub together in delicious friction that has the both of them rolling their hips together in tandem. Jongin bites into Kyungsoo shoulder to stop him from screaming as the heat becomes too much and his stomach tightens…

Kyungsoo rests on his elbows and stops moving. Jongin tries to chase the feeling but it’s lost without the pressure of Kyungsoo’s body. Jongin whines making Kyungsoo peck his reddened cheeks. Jongin suddenly jerks on the ground, clenching his ass when he feels a strange, wet intrusion in his most intimate part. “Ah, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo shushes Jongin’s seething to the sharp pain in his lower regions with nips and tugs of his teeth on his lips. It distracts Jongin enough to relax under Kyungsoo’s finger sliding past his ring. It felt odd to Jongin, he’s never had anything touch him there, not even his own hand for pleasure. But when Kyungsoo crooks two fingers inside him hitting a spot Jongin never knew existed, it sent sparks of white hot up his spine.

He mewls into Kyungsoo’s neck, raking his nails up Kyungsoo’s strong biceps and forming crescents into his thick shoulders. When he’s finally prepped enough with three fingers, Jongin waits and gapes at Kyungsoo’s erection, curved and flushed in an angry red at the base. It strangely fades into white at the head. He wants to ask questions about it, but Kyungsoo has other plans. Instead, he tucks his hands in the underside of Jongin’s knees, thumb massaging the bone of his kneecap.

“Is this okay?” Jongin looks at Kyungsoo, his heart feeling so full as the faery gingerly presses his cock into his waiting hole. It hurts. Jongin has to look at Kyungsoo to ignore the desire to shut his legs and get away from the intrusion. Yet, he stays there until Kyungsoo is fully inside and waits for him to adjust. “So tight…ah…Jongin.” Kyungsoo grits through his teeth.

The praise sends another swirl of heat to Jongin’s stomach and he whines as he clenches involuntarily on Kyungsoo inside him making Kyungsoo let out the loudest moan yet. Tears are pricking at the corner of Jongin’s eyes when he nods at Kyungsoo for him to start moving urging with needy little squirms of his hips. Slowly, Kyungsoo begins to move, slipping out until the head of his cock is being sucked in. He plunges back in, touching that same spot from earlier that leaves Jongin in a stuttering mess and seeing stars.

He gasps at the feeling as Kyungsoo continues to thrust into him languidly drawing out deep guttural moans from the depths of Jongin’s throat. Kyungsoo praises him with whispers against the inside of Jongin’s knees.

“H-h-harder,” he mutters into the backside of his hand.

Jongin grasps the blankets around him when Kyungsoo hooks his legs over his shoulder and picks up the pace. Jongin arches his back meeting Kyungsoo in a sloppy, open-mouthed kiss. Kyungsoo pounds into him while doing so. Jongin cries out as Kyungsoo repeatedly hits that special spot, his stomach tightening again as the heat uncoils. White sprays across his chest as he comes untouched.

Kyungsoo continues to rock into him; his fingers scoop a bit of Jongin’s cum and draws it to his lips, tongue swiping over the digit to taste him. If Jongin wasn’t so exhausted, he’d get hard again by the sinful sight. He shivers thinking that this is a King of thousands of faeries, and he has Jongin’s cum swirling on the tip of tongue.

Kyungsoo bares his neck as Jongin purposefully clenches around him. Kyungsoo releases and slips out. Jongin’s legs collapse to the ground, strained from the stretch. Kyungsoo helps Jongin wipe himself off before curling against him. Jongin smiles adoringly at Kyungsoo, wrapping his arms around Kyungsoo’s waist. Kyungsoo nuzzles further into Jongin’s chest in response, his lips pouching out to press over where Jongin’s heart is beating steadily and soundly in his chest.

Jongin watches Kyungsoo slip into a peaceful slumber. The sound of his breath soothes Jongin to his own dreamless sleep. He knows Kyungsoo loves him and he loves Kyungsoo, they didn’t need to use words to express it. Actions spoke loud enough in the way Kyungsoo took care of him.

In the surroundings of creaking bark in the wind, singing crickets, and dying crackle of the fire, they fall asleep like that, cuddling and feeling light.

When Tao wakes them up, he keeps a blank at expression at their lack of clothes. Jongin worries for second if he had heard everything from last night, and from the telltale twitch of his eye when they walk out of the tent hurriedly, he had heard. Kyungsoo doesn’t seem to mind as he packs his horse’s saddle and fixes the straps.

Jongin, too, tries to act like nothing was of important, but every time he caught Kyungsoo’s eye his face heats up. Tao will roll his eyes making him feel self-conscious.

They travel, talking sparsely, and discussing information about the Lady of the Lake and plans when meeting her. Kyungsoo tells them that there is certain offering he has to bring and quote an incantation.

The sun beats down on the back of Jongin’s neck. He can feel the heat prickling at his skin and he knows he’ll be sunburned by the end of the day. He wonders how Kyungsoo nor Tao, who are both shades lighter than him, look perfectly fine. Their skin hasn’t blossomed a permanent blistering red or the faint telltale signs of pink. He voices his observation to Kyungsoo.

“Faeries photosynthesize.” Kyungsoo replies simply.

Jongin gapes. “You’re lying.”

“Why would I lie about that?”

“You’re a plant.” Baffled, Jongin states.

Tao chuckles, his hand covering his curled lips. Jongin sneers at him, unwelcome of his silent mocking.

“Not exactly. I don’t know all the sciences. You’d be better asking Yixing about these things. He knows everything about the fae’s body. But to say it simply, we are cousins of plants.”

“But you eat,” Jongin wets his dry lips with a swipe of his tongue.

Kyungsoo catches the sight and follows it with his flashing eyes. “I do eat.” He swallows. “But the sun cannot sustain us alone. Seedlings first feed off the sun and nectar, and as they develop, they reach a period where they can start eating actual food.”

Jongin opens his mouth to make a comment, but Tao speaks softly, demanding their attention by his clear voice. “We’re here.”

They’ve stopped in front of a large cliff where a sheet of grey stone cuts jagged edges. On the rock is a slight crevice small enough for a Jongin’s fingers to squeeze through. Jongin chews his lip, preventing him from commenting on how there’s not even a body of water near them. That doesn’t stop Kyungsoo from sliding off the back of his horse and searching for the items he needs to summon the Lady of the Lake.

Jongin goes to stand beside Tao as the soldier brushes aside a couple of vines that have grown in the groves of the rock. Kyungsoo pulls out a vile of purple liquid that smells a lot like rotten fruit and pours the substance in a straight line. His lips move quickly, but Jongin can’t hear the words himself. Kyungsoo then sprinkles a dusting of crushed lavender and thumbs over the tip of the crevice with a black powder.

Kyungsoo steps away slapping his hands together in front of him and held straight. His mouth forming inaudible words before he falls forward. Jongin rears to catch him, but Tao grasps his shoulder to hold him back. Kyungsoo mashes his hands right into the impossibly tight crevice. Jongin realizes there’s something odd. Kyungsoo’s are not bloodied or his skin has been shredded off his knuckles. Instead, a warm yellow light surrounds his hands and the rock gives away in a shuddering rumble.

The crevice splits apart with widening spread of Kyungsoo’s arms and stray rubble rains down bouncing off his outstretched arms and some cutting through. Kyungsoo doesn’t flinch, though. He remains impassive and finished the incantation until there was a clear entrance big enough for all of them to easily fit through.

Kyungsoo dusts the dirt on his hands and ducks through the opening. He draws out another vile from his cloak and shakes it until the little concoction inside glows, lighting up the hidden cave. Tao stands guard of the entrance while Jongin follows after the faery King staying close behind him so he doesn’t stumble behind in the wading darkness.

Jongin’s hand finds Kyungsoo’s twining their fingers together as they listen to their footsteps and heavy breathing echoing off the damp walls of the cave. The trek starts to decline leading to a wide opening of the cave where a deep blue pool of water lays still. Kyungsoo eyes the pool unsurely.

Jongin warily looks between the faery and the lake. “Isn’t the Lady of the Lake supposed to be here?” Suddenly, Jongin hears a soft inviting tune humming through the cave. The pools water quivers, but Jongin blinks thinking it was his own imagination. The songs volume increases, whatever was making the noise is coming closer. “Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?” The music gets louder. Kyungsoo casts a glance at Jongin before squatting down and dipping his fingers into the water. “Yes, she should be here waiting for us since we entered.” It crescendos when he sighs and begins to shift his weight as he stands but the water wraps around his wrist and sucks him into the water.

“Kyungsoo!” Jongin lurches forward to catch him, but his fingers barely brush Kyungsoo’s hip as he goes tumbling into the water. Jongin tries reaching his arm into the water for some solid semblance of the faery but grips onto nothing. Suddenly, the water ripples in the middle of the lake and morphs into a mass while it lifts Kyungsoo up by makeshift arms.

The mass of water continues to bubble until it shapes into a woman with flowing curly hair that spirals down her front covering her bare chest. Her body is lithe and full of curves. She is beautiful as she moves aside the wet hair plastered to Kyungsoo’s forehead. Jongin watches, shocked and mesmerized. The woman leans forward, taking Jongin by surprise, as she captures Kyungsoo’s lips with hers if that’s possible with a person made of a liquid.

Jongin gapes as Kyungsoo is held in place, limp in the air with the woman’s vice like grip on his arms. She moves her lips fervently, trying to pry open the plump lips that refuse to move against hers. Her lips curl and Jongin swears she makes eye contact with him while she kisses the King before carrying him to the edge of the pool and setting him down beside Jongin.

Kyungsoo splutters, coughing up water onto his shaking hand. She must have managed to get a tongue in there then, Jongin thinks. The water-woman, as Jongin dubbed her as, retreats back to the middle of the water to stare at the two of them.

“Never thought I would see a human in my cave,” a grin is evident on her face while a swirl of water reaches out to brush against Jongin’s jaw. “He’s pretty.”

“Are you the Lady of the Lake?” Kyungsoo props himself up on his hands, shoulder still hunched from having his lungs infiltrated with water instead of air. His shirt clings to his body accentuating the dips of his collar bones and curves of his biceps. Jongin tries not to dwell on it, but his nether regions already piqued. He groans inwardly at his stupid hormones as he tightly tugs his knees to his chest.

The Lady of the Lake sends a sly smirk to Jongin as if she is aware of his situation which makes Kyungsoo turn questioningly to him. Kyungsoo’s attention is taken away luckily when the Lady retrieves her outstretched arm that was hovering over him and flips over onto her back.

“What brings the King to my humble dwelling?” Her voice sounds sultry and lilting with every word.

“We both know exactly why I am here.”

The Lady of the Lake rolls back over resting her head on her folded arms, “You remind me so much of Merlin. Same drive, same talent in the magical arts, both alluring, handsome features. So much potential, yet you have the same curiosity as Merlin that ended up destroying him. If you are not careful, you, too, will see the end of your demise.”

“What is she talking about, Kyungsoo?” Jongin worriedly crawls toward him.

“It’s nothing, Jongin,” Kyungsoo averts. “There is nothing to be concerned about I assure you. I know what I am doing.”

The Lady’s liquid hair slides down her shoulder to pool over her arms. “Merlin had said the same thing once, but he never bothered listening to me. Magic can be addicting, a vice that always will eventually come with consequences. It is merely just a warning to be cautious.”

“I have always proceeded carefully with my actions.” Kyungsoo swears.

“You better,” Jongin mutters under his breath.

The Lady laughs, voice tinkling clear and Jongin is reminded of the crashing sounds of a small waterfall. “I can see why the human is entranced with you. He reminds me so much of Arthur, but you didn’t come here to hear my mind that is trapped in drowned memories. You need the sword.”

“I…Yes, I need the sword to protect my people.” Kyungsoo answers.

“That’s a shame. I can’t help you with that. You see, when I gave Arthur the sword that was the last hold I had on it. Merlin casted a spell on it to protect it from unworthy wielders. I do have an idea where it is.” She cups water in her hand and lets it seep through the cracks of her fingers.

“Then please tell me,” Kyungsoo begs, leaning forward and clasping his hands together.

“You are not destined for it though;” She tells Kyungsoo even though she meets Jongin’s stare with a bewitching sparkle in her eyes. “Here’s a riddle: You will find the sword blossoming and guarded by a path of unknown turns, waiting for the hands of a cut warrior.”

“But I…”

“You are not destined, my King. I cannot change destiny. I am merely a messenger.” Her eyes tear away from Jongin’s and her coy smile disappears. “However, I will give this advice. When the grendels came before, the only way Arthur managed to end the war was when he had the sword he killed the producer of the grendels: the mother.”

“The mother?”

“Like bees, the Queen bee is the one who reproduces, she is in control of the whole operation. You kill her, the worker bees have no purpose and have no idea what to do. It weakens them making them easier to kill and some wither away at the loss. Grendels are just like that.”

“How do you distinct the Queen from the rest?” Jongin folds his knees under his thighs and places his hands on his knees.

She gives Jongin a knowing look, one he can’t figure out the reason for it. “She’s bigger, for one, and she wears the gifts her children have presented to her. Ah, I almost forgot, when Merlin placed the protection spell to protect Lyberium, he wrote it into the stone in case something like this happened. I suggest repeating that to strengthen the weakening borders. I wish you a safe journey back and may Merlin watch your back.” She begins to bubble again and slowly disperses into the water despite Kyungsoo’s protests. Her last words carry out through the cave, “Get the sword. Say the spell. It is your only hope.”

Kyungsoo stares at the water accusingly. Anger forms a valley between his eyebrows and his fists clenches into the dirt. Jongin waits for him to say something, but it’s evident as Kyungsoo mules over what the woman said the more he fumes in his own thoughts. Jongin gets up and dusts off his pants and helps Kyungsoo and keeps his thumb rubbing circles into his wrist. Kyungsoo’s lip quivers in an attempt to give a grateful smile.

Jongin and Kyungsoo meet back with Tao who doesn’t question Kyungsoo’s drenched state or what events occurred. He must have noticed the tension in the air between them and decided to remain stoic.

The cave entrance they walked out of is covered by a molding rock and forms the same sliver crack in the stone that Kyungsoo had used to create the entrance. Like that, the Lady of the Lake is gone, almost as if their encounter never happened, but Kyungsoo’s wet hair and clothes plastered to his body reminds him differently. Kyungsoo puts his foot through the stirrup, but Jongin stops him.

“You’re soaking. If you stay like that, you’ll get sick.” He holds out his own cloak for Kyungsoo to cover himself with. Kyungsoo gazes at the material before sighing. Tao turns away as Kyungsoo begins to strip. Jongin shields his eyes too feeling a blush reach his cheeks and thinks about how just him in tight clothing affected him.

When Kyungsoo’s successfully covered, they get back on the horses mutely. They travel silently as the sun fades until they must stop to set up camp. Like before, Tao sets up camp and Jongin goes in search for firewood. No words are shared as Kyungsoo helps fix dinner and rations it equally. Jongin does his best not to stare and trades it for concerned glances. His shoulders are tense and they ache from being on edge.

Kyungsoo finally breaks his silence with a frustrated grunt throwing a rock at the fire which sends a burst of sparks up as it collapses. Tao takes an immediate stance of defense and searches their surroundings for something out of place.

“Kyungsoo…” Jongin tries.

“Don’t speak unless you have an idea what she means,” he glowers at him. He immediately relents, bending down to sit in front of him, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.” He pats Jongin’s messy hair comfortingly.

“What did she say?” Tao treads carefully with his words to see if Kyungsoo is still acting like he’ll explode any minute.

Kyungsoo repeats the riddle that he memorized. Tao scrunches up his face as he thinks through it. “What is a cut warrior?”

Kyungsoo rests his head on Jongin’s knee. The fire highlights the smooth planes of his face and the length of his eyelash brushing his cheek, “I have no idea. All I know is that I’m not the destined one. How else am I supposed to protect our kingdom if it’s not me?”

“We’ll figure it out.” Jongin assures, but he doesn’t know either. The whole reason for the trip was for Kyungsoo to find out how he can protect his people, but instead they have some ridiculous riddle to decode at this dire time.

Kyungsoo rolls off him and heads to his tent, “I’m tired. Jongin?”

Jongin looks up to see Kyungsoo pointing to their tent. He flushes under the orange glow of the fire. He nods and chases after him.

“Don’t be as loud this time! You’ll attract snigborns!” Tao calls after them.

“What the hell are snigborns?” Jongin asks when they are both inside the tent.

Kyungsoo giggles. “These little rodents that feed off sexual energy. Not as pesky as you would imagine, but they can become a disturbance after a while. If you let them hang around long enough, they’ll become bold enough to get closer. No one wants that to happen.”

“Ahh,” Jongin hums, but then squeals in surprise when Kyungsoo pushes him down and straddles him.

“I know what happened earlier.” Kyungsoo explains with a devious sparkle in his eyes.

Jongin grimaces, feeling guilty. “I’m sorry, I-”

Kyungsoo hushes him with his lips. “It’s okay. You don’t have to hide it around me.”

“But she-”

“As if she’ll touch you.” Kyungsoo grinds his ass down into Jongin’s groin reminding him that Kyungsoo is still completely naked under his cloak. He works Jongin up until he is half-hard under his trousers.

“I didn’t like her kissing you,” Jongin says when Kyungsoo stops moving with his mouth open and little pants escape. “You’re mine.” He twirls some of Kyungsoo’s hair in his finger before caressing his face.

Kyungsoo leans into the touch, planting a kiss to Jongin’s pulse point feeling the thrum of his quickened heart beats under the caramel skin. “All yours,” he whispers.

They take it slow and languid that night, unsure what the future holds and if they’ll survive to see the next day. For now, they have each other, and that’s all either one could ask for. While Jongin rocks into Kyungsoo, their tent grows hot and steamy filled with the sounds of skin slapping skin and praises from Kyungsoo’s mouth littered all over Jongin’s body.

Jongin never wants to forget. This. Kyungsoo. The feeling of their bodies tangled together. The love they share for one another. They seal the night with a promise of love. Even as tears slide down Kyungsoo’s face, he holds Jongin’s in his hand, so warm and capable, and tells him how much he loves him.

They fall asleep wrapped in each other’s embrace. Jongin’s head tucked under Kyungsoo’s chin and their arms wrapped protectively around one another. For now, they are safe. Tomorrow, they will fight.

  
  


 

“I got it!” Tao cries when they are only a few miles outside of the capital.

Kyungsoo turns to look back at him, commanding his horse to steer to the left and make room for Tao to come between him and Jongin.

“The riddle, I think I know what she meant.” Tao grins widely, a first Jongin thinks. “‘You will find the sword blossoming’… She means a garden. I mean where else would a sword be blossoming… ‘and guarded by a path of unknown turns’… if my hunch is right and it is in the gardens then this means it’s in that maze of shrubs near the east wing. Then she said, ‘waiting for the hands of a cut warrior’ that could only mean Jongin.”

“Me!? How is that me?” Jongin gapes.

Kyungsoo frowns in concentration.

“You don’t have wings, yet you walk among us fae and become integrated in society as if you are a faery, but your wings have been cut off,” Tao explains, his eyes curl up excitedly making Jongin ever wonder why he found Tao so intimidating in the first place.

“I can’t be.” Jongin shakes his head, but it makes sense to him. He’s the one destined to save Lyberium. It’s why he could pass through the gate by himself. It’s why he heard the strange tune before meeting the Lady of the Lake and Kyungsoo didn’t. And why she adamantly said it wasn’t Kyungsoo fate and she had looked at Jongin the whole time. He has to sacrifice himself to protect Kyungsoo, his friends, and his people.

“No.” Kyungsoo’s face darkens. His mouth forms a set line and eyebrows pull down with hooded eyes as if he had heard Jongin’s concluding thoughts.

“Kyungsoo, I-”

“No!” Kyungsoo bellows. Tao pulls his horse to slink back behind them.

Jongin turns to the King with a fiery gaze. “It’s my destiny, Kyungsoo. You heard her.”

Kyungsoo shakes his head, the determination seeping out of him and weighing him down, defenseless. “I can’t lose you,” he mumbles weakly.

“Well, I can’t lose you.” Jongin’s lip quivers as emotion runs through him. “I would do anything to keep you safe and alive, and if this is what it takes…”

“What if you get killed?” Kyungsoo’s tone turns frigid and biting. “What if you die, what am I supposed to do?”

“You’re strong and brave and you have thousands of people depending on you. You have wonderful people to support you, something I never had! But y-you gave that to me. You welcomed me here and allowed me to be friends with your friends, you showed me respect and care. You gave me the whole world, Kyungsoo. Let me do this in repayment. Let me protect all that you love,” Jongin pleads, his fingers gripping tightly to the reigns to prevent himself from crumbling to little pieces.

“You know…” a deep breath, “you know I need to do this. I’m going to do it either way no matter what you say, but I don’t want our last moments possible together spent arguing. Please, Kyungsoo.”

Kyungsoo stares in the opposite direction, but Jongin can see his chin trembling and his knuckles turning white. Jongin scoots his horse over to ease the tightness in Kyungsoo’s muscles by prying his hand open to place it his. Kyungsoo blinks at the action and then to Jongin’s face that’s trying to smile widely despite his stomach twisting uncomfortably inside him.

They don’t say any more, and instead they ride like that in silence. Tao starts to hum a song that turns to him singing softly under his breath. It soothes their current folds of their foreheads and the drawn shoulders. They can remain in ignorance for the few hours they ride, pretend there is no war, forget that a threat is coming after to kill Kyungsoo, and ignore the fact Jongin is possibly sacrificing him to find the sword defeat the mother grendel.

When they get close enough to see the palace in the horizon, the sky is beginning to transition from crisp blue to the golden hues of a fading sun. The castle looks dark and uninviting compared to the vibrant sky. It’s daunting, but Jongin is the first to pursue forward.

As they draw closer, Tao becomes more stern and stiff, and he has stopped singing. It is too eerily quiet when they enter the city and travel along the cobblestone streets. All the homes and shops are closed up, and the windows are full of pitch black. In the distance closer to where the castle stands, black smoke rises in the sky in puffs of unwelcoming clouds.

Tao leads in front of them, his hand hovering over the hilt so he can easily whip it out of its sheath. They urge their horses to a trot and Kyungsoo emits a small choking noise. The front doors have been knocked down, ripped right off the hinges. Loud animalistic grunts come from inside and cries of faeries carry throughout the stone building.

“Jongin…” Kyungsoo reaches out for his hand.

“I know. I love you.” Jongin leans over to meet his touch, but jumps back in his saddle in surprise when a loud roar disrupts him. What comes blundering towards them with a lust for blood has Jongin recoiling in repulse.

The monster had green skin textured with large bumps on the arms and scaly shoulders. Its beady eyes are set back in its large skull and its blood stained mouth is agape, showing rugged rows of rotten teeth. Tao rushes forward and swings his sword which lodges in the grendels arm. He rips it out and letting yellow blood gush out of the wound. The grendel lets out a loud roar and attempts to knock Tao off his sword, but Tao is already moving to dodge the blow.

“Go!” Tao bellows. “Find the sword!” His gaze is sharp and concentrated, but the strain of his voice as he orders is slightly shaking. He’s fought many creatures in his life, but never something of this mass and with a pure drive to kill. If he’s scared, he doesn’t let it show.

“Jongin!” Kyungsoo tries again reach for him, but Jongin is already moving forward for the east wing.

“I have to find the sword!” Jongin yells back. “Stay safe!”

He wills himself not to look back at Kyungsoo and see his face knowing he wouldn’t be able to turn back and leave the King unprotected. _Only good memories and good thoughts_ , Jongin repeats to himself in his head. He refuses to remember this, bodies of fallen fae strewn across the lawns and floors of the castle, or of the clang of armory against metal or the dull thuds of the grendels fists meeting shields. Even as he launches himself off his horse and runs past those that are fighting for their lives, he pictures Kyungsoo’s cottage and them standing atop of Froh Hill.

He needs to find higher ground so he can see where exactly he needs to go to find the sword easier. He can’t waste any time by running aimlessly and taking undirected turns. He finds the spiral staircase of the east wing, just outside of the maze and takes two steps at a time, jumping over the crumbled steps that must have been damaged by a mismarked attack of a grendel.

Each step he takes, he wishes for the safety of all the people he has met. Chanyeol- _step_ -Yifan- _step_ -Baekhyun- _step_ -Jongdae- _step_ … he stops at a window that must be three floors up and searches around the rows of shrubbery. There, in the middle of the maze, Jongin spots the sword surrounded by blooming roses. He follows the path to the entrance. Left, go straight, left again, right, right, left, straight, right, right, take the first turn, he tries to quickly memorizes.

When he thinks he knows it, he hears the sound of a grendel near him. Jongin’s mind freezes up, forgetting his task at hand as fear seizes him up. He feels like he’s been thrown back to high school when he ducks under a table like he used to cower from his bullies never brave to face them.

The person fighting comes into view. Jongin chews on his lip as his eyes go wide.

Jongin watches with worry as Yixing, gentle Yixing, brandishes his sword against the Grendel. He searches for help but almost every soldier is outside of the castle fighting for their lives and his. In the corner of his eye a flash of silver shoot across his peripheral vision. He ducks quickly huddling under the closest table. Candlesticks clang against the stone floor as his head hits the underside of the table.

Heavy footsteps cast a large shadow as they move closer and closer to Jongin’s hiding spot. _This is it_ , he thinks squeezing his eyes tightly waiting for the sword to crack through the table and onto his head. But nothing happens, no movement adjusts in the angry blood red sunset, not even a haggard breath comes shuttering out between to large nostrils. Silence.

Jongin sees this as a chance to fight back. The logical and survival skills come into conflict. Without the sword, he can’t do much damage to the grendel. There is also the option to stay where he is, an indication of no harm as of yet. As nice as crouching under a table waiting for his imminent death sounds, Jongin thinks of everyone he loves, those who are spilling blood just to see a tomorrow. If they can do that, then he can finally stand up and save Lyberium from any more harm.

His boots wear him down as he slowly crawls out from under the table, careful to not make sudden movements. His mouth drops when he sees the reason why the Grendel had not killed him already. The Queen, with her silver hair waving around her head in a blinding mane, holds out her quivering arms. Flickering magic is wrapped around the Grendel’s body in a tight cocoon. She flashes him a warning signal before her arms give out. She won’t last. After Kyungsoo became King, she dispelled her power and gave it to Kyungsoo. She can’t do powerful spells for a long period of time.

“Run!” She yells, voice hoarse, catching his figure half-hidden in the corner of her vision.

Jongin dashes down the circular steps his feet barely touching the ground as he goes. He takes one last look at the Queen before she disappears from view. She sits on her knees, dress ripped and torn from the fight. Her arms rest gently at her sides, hands clasped on her knees. Her forehead is creased with beads of sweat dripping down to her pressed lips. Her eyes were bright from exertion as if she still had more energy burning inside her, but he knew best that this would be his last memory of her.

The grendel above her raises one of the wall lamps before letting his leathery muscles flex as he flings the metal down. Jongin’s breath gets stuck in his throat as he tried to not sob and cause the Grendel to chase after him. The loud thud of metal hitting bone, though, will never be replaced in his head.

When he reaches the bottom of the stairs, he avoids a shield that was chucked in his direction. Jongin barely catches the scene of one of the female servants hanging limply in the arms of a Grendel. Jongin feels like he is going to be sick, so he continues running, heading for the gardens. His thoughts focus on the path before him. Run, run, run. He doesn’t spare a thought to what he’s running from.

The maze is marred, but still intact. Bushes appear as if they haven’t been trimmed in months, but he knows they were done a week ago. He had watched the quick snip of the shears in the gardener's’ hands as Kyungsoo had thrown his head back to laugh at his own ill humor, his eyes creased with joy and lips forming a beautiful smile.

Jongin enters the tall hedges. If he can find his way to the stone, he can just take the sword and end it all, but he can’t remember if he was supposed to turn left or right. The image of the unconscious fae about to be delved into as a snack left a dent in his memory. He takes a right, but comes to a dead end. Turning left, he starts to remember the familiar pattern he memorized. Go straight and then turn left.

Jongin doesn’t think about what will happen if he doesn’t reach the stone. He tries not to picture this world that have become his own home being run over by the evil which his people have worked so hard to protect from. He doesn’t picture Kyungsoo raising his sword in an attempt to do his best to protect him kingdom. He doesn’t picture the damage if Kyungsoo makes the wrong move, falters, or makes one wrong move that causes his blood to seep into the creases of the wood floors and other dead fae’s clothes. He can’t. He won’t.

He pushes himself harder. His footsteps hitting the ground hard, the noise sounding like drums pounding to his knees, vibrating up his spine to clash loudly in his ear. That’s when Jongin hears it. The faintest hum coming from his right. The same song that lulled him to pool of water which the Lady of the Lake resided in. Jongin follows, straining his ears as the song gets louder and louder.

The Stone of Life is nothing to be awed by. It is only a large uneven granite stone jutting out of the earth. Etched onto the side is a small passage. An incantation, Jongin recognizes, to protect the land from intruders that Merlin had casted centuries ago. Jongin grips the hilt the Excalibur tighter, pulling it out of scabbard with the metal chord accompanying it. With both hands holding the sword high above his head, Jongin whispers the incantation as he brings it down, hoping that his lack of magical powers, the magic possessed in the sword will be enough to reinstate the spell.

The force of the sword against stone knocks Jongin to the ground and it goes scattering to the ground. He looks over to the stone still plain and the sword resting near his legs. Kyungsoo stares at the sword, the hilt with dull quartz gems, the gold fading into rust where his sweaty hand kept a strong hold. It is a fake.

“Looking for this?” Jongin jerks his head to the voice. All his bones shake as he meets red eyes and a deformed sickening grin. A flash of silver in his eyes and Jongin curses, the grendel has the Excalibur. As it comes closer, its large leathery dark moldy feet only a few paces away.

Jongin’s stomach turns in disgust and in dread realizing this must be the mother. She has a red beaded necklace around her neck with charms of differently shaped teeth. It will nearly be impossible for him to survive now. Especially since he hasn’t learned to master a sword, He doesn’t have any potions on him like Kyungsoo, but this is his destiny. He is willing to will risk himself just to save thousands of innocent people.

He stands grabbing the fallen ‘fake’ Excalibur off the ground. His knees tremble, but he spreads his legs apart far enough to be in a steady stance. He swallows any fear that is giving thoughts of running. He is not going to back down, not without fighting. The grendel laughs at Jongin’s raised sword.

“A pretty human like you is going to fight me?” Her gaze isn’t focused as rumbles of amusement jerk throughout her body.

Jongin takes this chance to lean his weight forward, the tip of the sword piercing the flesh of the grendel. He jumps back, not wanting his sword to be lost in the grendel’s belly as she roars with pain. The grendel grins maniacally, the Excalibur lifting over her head. Jongin knows this simple faery-made sword is nothing compared to the Excalibur.  One hit and the sword will be shattered.

Jongin jumps to the side as soon as the grendel shifts all her weight onto the right foot, the force of her arms, sending the Excalibur to strike the ground, exactly where Jongin was a second ago. There’s an opening to make the next blow. Jongin swings his leg around, right arm following, clutching his sword to bring into the Achilles Heel.  His stomach reels when he sees puss leak out of the wound mixed with yellow blood.

The grendel’s leg gives away, but the pain doesn’t stop the mother from retaliating with a jerky slice towards, it catches his left arm. Jongin cries out, collapsing on his back panting heavily. He refuses to look at the damage. The grendel crawls forward, his cuts slowly being binded as he breathes. Jongin has only one chance left.

He can see it. Flashes of him ducking to the right, stabbing the opposite side of the sword being pointed at Jongin’s heart, but he also sees his own sword fallen beside him, the Excalibur passing through his ribs, into his heart and into the ground, holding him in place as he writhes in agony.

Jongin knows what he must do. He ducks to the right, the Excalibur barely grazing his shoulder. The grendel is regaining his strength, his opportunity. He drives the sword deep into the side of the grendel, yanking it back out as a breath is taken from it. He hears a shout and looks up.

Kyungsoo stands there, slamming his foot to the ground. A rock shoots of the ground and crashes down onto the grendel’s back. Jongin was distracted by the appearance of the faery and sees a flash of gold and silver. The shock on Kyungsoo’s face registers in Jongin’s brain first. He doesn’t understand why as he uses all his strength to bring his sword down, his shoulder and arm screaming, and now his chest in pain, slicing the grendel’s head clean off. Jongin sees the Excalibur lodged into his chest, red staining the fabric it sliced through.

Jongin can hear Kyungsoo calling for him, his voice sounding so distant and muffled. He tries responding, but the sound gurgles in his throat. His tongue tastes metallic. Black dots line his vision and the picture of Kyungsoo running to him is the last thing he sees, and his ears focus to the rush of his blood…

  
  


Kyungsoo feels sick when he looks the grendel, puss flowing out of its gashes. He squeezes his eyes shut before directing his attention to the Excalibur still lost in the meaty grip of the grendel and the rest in Jongin’s chest. His body seizes up as if everything occurred in slow motion. His shaky legs carry him over to the fallen human.

“Jongin! No, no, no, no, please,” he babbles in sharp intakes of air. His fingers tremble over Jongin’s crumpled form. “Please, Jongin, no.” His chest is on fire, lungs burning up with the quick breathes he’s taking and the erratic beats of his heart. “Jongin, stay with me. Come on!” He cries out, hot tears streaming down his dirt stained cheeks.

Arms tug at his forearms, pulling him away. Another faery pulls the sword out of Jongin and more blood leaks out. Kyungsoo scrambles forward, trying to touch, something. He can’t let Jongin go, he needs to stay with him, make sure his heart is still thriving in his chest.

“Kyungsoo, please. Let me get him medical help!” A voice Kyungsoo can’t perceive through the ringing in his ears. Kyungsoo lets go of Jongin’s wrist quickly as if he’d be scorched. Jongin’s limp form is carried off, away from him, the one person who promised to protect him.

Sobs tremor through his whole body. He chokes up as his fists beat the hard ground until the skin on his knuckles is scraped off and bloodied.

“Kyungsoo,” Tao, barely acknowledges the blurry outline of his guard. “The spell! You need to redo the spell or else Jongin did all that for nothing. Pull yourself together and do it for Jongin.” He forcefully shakes Kyungsoo’s frame, shouting loud enough that Kyungsoo can hear him over the ringing in his ears.

The Excalibur is placed in his shaking hand. He shifts the weight of hilt between his finger. He presses a hand to his knee, steadying himself. Tears drip down onto the dirt as he faces the stone.

He can feel the power, the magic the Excalibur contains. Invisible strings tie around his arm up his elbow, healing all soreness. He doesn’t marvel one last time at the inscription by the hilt. His lips mouth the words written purposefully onto the rock, “ _Purgo is beatus terra ex malum_.” He finally brings the point of the sword down into the Stone of Life, sinking it into the granite. The sword easily goes into the stone, as if made by bread, but the impact sends him back hurtling to the ground.

Blinding light bursts from the stone, white and gold surging around in a dome. Kyungsoo shields his eyes, waiting for the light to subside. The ringing is back in his ear, before everything disappears… Kyungsoo looks around; the garden is still in disarray, but the grendel, he had killed, is no longer on the ground, there is no trace of it. He sighs, he did it. They did it.

Voices and pounding of feet are the first thing that surges Kyungsoo to stand and race toward it. Yixing and a guard, swords still hanging by their side, meet Kyungsoo at the entrance to the garden, both breathing heavy. Kyungsoo bends over trying to even his breathing, he’s so relieved Yixing is alright, but his main thought is if Jongin is alive. He can’t be dead. Not after everything they’ve been through.

“Your Majesty-” the guard starts, Kyungsoo cuts him off.

“Gather all wounded and place them in the castle, if there is not enough room in the infirmary go to some of the nobles’ homes and decree that the King requested their services. Also, send word to the Institution that we need healing elixirs.” Kyungsoo orders, trying to think of everything they must to recover before it skips his mind.

The guard nods, leaving with haste. Kyungsoo watches him leave before turning his attention to the healer. “Yixing, do you know where the others are?” Something flashes across Yixing’s blue eyes, Kyungsoo’s stomach sinks thinking the worst. “T-take me,” he chokes on his words, but Yixing takes him through the castle without hesitation.

The castle, already old, looks more worn down. A few brave faeries lay fallen on the ground. Hanging decoration is ruffled and most of the tapestry is ruined. Passing one of the halls, Kyungsoo catches the glimpse where the Queen’s body lies, he bows his head in respect. The damage isn’t as horrible as Kyungsoo dreaded, but there is a lot of reconstruction needed before Lyberium is restored to what it once was.

“They might be where I left them at, because I went to find you,” Yixing mentions, his voice quivering.

Kyungsoo nods, trying to ignore the redness of Yixing’s eyes or the tired gaze melting to the back of his gray irises. “We’ll find them,” he assures.

Outside is the harshest, where most of the fighting took place. Bodies are strewn across the cobbled streets and fields, many stores and vendors are ruined; their signs a pile of wooden chips, their valuables, a shattered beauty. Faeries are already helping one another, attending to the wounded or fixing up what the grendel destroyed. Most fae ignore Kyungsoo as he passes by, he wasn’t easily recognized without his formal wear.

Kyungsoo sucks in a breath. It pains him to see his people so brave but broken. How many families will gather today and find that someone is missing? How many of his own did he lose? There is an ominous silence hanging over the capital. After the sound of sword against sword, arrow meeting skin, the silence is too numbing. Kyungsoo can even feel the earth shudder underneath him.

Jongdae is the first one they find. His shirt has holes in it where the acid of troll blood burning away the silk and one cut that is almost done healing on his shoulder, but other than that he is unscathed.

Kyungsoo pulls Jongdae closer as they greet, his chest bumping his shoulder. Jongdae, too, holds his wrist tighter. “You did it, Your Majesty.”

Kyungsoo lets out a shaky laugh. “Drop the formals, Jongdae.” He drops his hands.

Jongdae steps away, a frown replacing his smile. “Where’s Jongin?”

Kyungsoo shakes his head, feeling the same dread seep into his pores again, slowly closing in on his heart as chokes. Jongdae glances at Yixing before grabbing his hand and telling him what had happened.

“Baekhyun is with him now in his home trying to heal his wounds, but, Kyungsoo, they’re bad.” Jongdae is panting through each step. Baekhyun’s house is on the west side of the castle, the opposite direction. Kyungsoo curses, back tracking his steps. He is grateful that Baekhyun was granted rights to build a home connected to the castle, where everyone he loves can be in close distance, but at the moment it is an unfortunate placement.

Kyungsoo squeezes his eyes shut seeing red. Jongin in red. “The others?”

“Chanyeol knew his men weren’t going to make it much longer, so he stepped in and started battling as many as he could at once. He tried frying them all, but his powers were weakened what with the sun going down. One grendel got too close to Chanyeol and mixed distance and force. Yifan was there at the wrong spot at the worst time…”

Kyungsoo’s jaw tightens, hands clenched by his sides.

When they reach the west side of the castle, taking the servant halls to reach their destination faster, Kyungsoo is positive his heart will burst. The door to Baekhyun’s oddly shaped home was open, the daisies he loves so much reaching for the sun on the flower pot on the window sill. Kyungsoo steps in, knocking lightly.

Chanyeol nearly jumps at his throat when he enters. They do not speak, as he guides him to where Jongin is laying on the kitchen table, his feet dangling off the edge. A lump forms as he watches Baekhyun dab away his blood. Lots of blood. There is some on the floor, a lot covering Baekhyun’s hands and the cloth he holds. Red is such an ugly color against Jongin’s olive skin. Kyungsoo stares in horror, Jongin isn’t moving. His body is frozen, his face forming a strange, peaceful expression.

Chanyeol clears his throat behind him making Baekhyun jump, his hand pulling away from a bucket of water, the color stained pink from wringing of the cloth to start a new.

“Kyungsoo… I… Jongin, he’s not going to make it.” The sorrow filling Baekhyun’s voice, cracking, as he locks his eyes to Kyungsoo’s.

Kyungsoo collapses to his knees, a shudder rippling through his body violently. His finger finds Jongin’s hand, slick with blood. Another wave of hot tears burn his face as it slides down to burn holes through his trousers. He wants to scream, to plead for Jongin to just fight, to live a little bit longer so they can watch the sunset they missed those months back when they first met on Froh Hill, so Kyungsoo can tell him how much he truly needs him by his side.

“Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun whispers. Kyungsoo shakes his head, he can’t face anyone yet, not even his closest friends. “No, Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun grabs Kyungsoo’s free wrist, “the potion you made, the forbidden one. You never completed the last step.”

Kyungsoo raises his head. He glares at Baekhyun, what is he doing talking about an elixir still unfinished at this time, until Kyungsoo’s potion cognitive brain catches up with Baekhyun’s words. Hope surges into his veins a new force of energy. “Where is it?”

Baekhyun slips out of the room and Kyungsoo tries to remember each step he started at as he contemplated on whether or not making a forbidden potion was worth the challenge.

“Kyungsoo, you know every existing elixir or potion. This is something nobody has tried since the war with the Unseelie. And if anybody has the power to make it work, it’s you,” Baekhyun had said, sparkling with excitement of a dangerous project, “If you’re worried we would tell, you know we would never. We like taking chances just as much as you do.”

Kyungsoo looked at the ingredients one last time before making a decision. Almost everything on the list was illegal to use in elixirs, but that’s what made this potion so enchanting to Kyungsoo. All items were a new experience for him, but the last ingredient is what made him most nervous and the most dangerous. He thought of when he’ll ever need such strong potion, one that can heal any wound, one that can push away the pull of death, one that can drag you away from the afterlife.  

“Let’s do it.”

Baekhyun’s grin matched Kyungsoo as they started a grocery list for no ordinary recipe.

The clink of the cauldron’s handle hanging on the hook above the fire brings Kyungsoo back to the task. His senses focus on the contents. He can feel the balance of everything inside as he passes over the pot. He checks off the list of what is needed, only one thing is waiting to make this potion perfect: faery blood. Kyungsoo asks Baekhyun for a knife, his hand reaching out steadily. His fingers wrap around it, then he presses the blade to his palm.

Clear, almost translucent dots appear sliding down the side of palm until it drips into the cauldron. The contents fizz, the color turning to a pale blue. Kyungsoo bites his lip as the knife digs deeper in his skin until a sigh escapes. He loosens his grip on the knife, dropping his hand to his side, his blood splattering on the stone floor. He looks at the elixir, wanting to spare a moment to be proud of his work, but he’s ladling the liquid into a cup knowing how urgent the situation is.

He holds the edge of the cup to Jongin’s chapped lips, his free hand pinching Jongin’s nose. Kyungsoo watches Jongin’s expression carefully for any sign of life, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration as all the elixir in the cup is drained. He waits for what feels like a whole lifetime to him. His eyes never tearing away from Jongin’s face. The hand once holding the potion has moved to rest on his bare chest, still warm.

“Kyung-”

“Shh,” Kyungsoo hisses. something pulses underneath Kyungsoo’s hand. He leans down, his ear touching just over Jongin’s sternum. He hears it, a little whisper of a heartbeat, dancing around in Jongin’s chest. He grins widely, tears blooming at the corners of his eyes.

“Kyungsoo! Look!” Baekhyun nudges his roughly. Kyungsoo raises his head to turn his direction to whatever Baekhyun is practically jumping and wildly pointing at, his wings sporadically fluttering. Kyungsoo can feel his own coasting the air as his chest tightens when he sees Jongin’s cuts seal, sowing together at a quick speed. He ignores Chanyeol and Baekhyun prancing around or Jongdae’s and Yixing’s cheers in the back. He won’t consider it a success until he sees the dark brown liquid irises stare back at him. But Jongin doesn’t stir.

He’s breathing has returned to normal, and now he only has a pink scar from where he was cut. Kyungsoo watches nervously as he nudges Jongin’s shoulder lightly. Jongin’s head rolls to the side, and Kyungsoo looks at Baekhyun who had stopped celebrating when he noticed the worried line creased into Kyungsoo’s forehead. “He’s sleeping. One of the ingredients must have this side effect.”

Baekhyun smiles gently before putting a hand on Kyungsoo’s shoulder. “It worked. You did good.” Kyungsoo tries to smile back, but suddenly the fatigue of the past few days finally hits him, and his whole body aches. He holds onto the table tightly as he knees start to give away. The last he sees is Baekhyun reaching out to steady him.

  
  


Jongin wakes feeling like he has a rod in his spine. He sits up, groaning along with his stiff muscles tensing at sudden movement. He looks around at his surroundings, not able to recognize the location. He blinks multiple times until he could focus on one lone figure sitting in a delicately entwined chair make out of the nimble limbs of a willow.

“Kyungsoo?” Jongin croaks out, voice breaking the silence. Kyungsoo’s eyes shoot up, tearing away from a book he is holding in his hand. He immediately puts the book down and strides over to where Jongin is resting on a plush bed. Kyungsoo presses his hand on Jongin’s forehead before pushing away strands of hair away gently as if Jongin was as breakable as a wilted gardenia.

Jongin feels so content as Kyungsoo draws his thumb down his temple to his jaw, softly brushing the pad of his finger along the stubble. The soft caring gaze as Kyungsoo presses his forehead against Jongin’s, humming when Jongin puts a hand on Kyungsoo’s hip tugging him closer. “I almost lost you,” Kyungsoo’s breath fans over Jongin’s lips.

Jongin breathes in Kyungsoo’s exhale. “I thought I lost you.” Jongin isn’t sure how long he’s been unconscious or what happened when he and Kyungsoo separated, all he cares about is the fact Kyungsoo is pushing him down back into the bed, leaning over him as Kyungsoo’s black hair falls into his face, but his eyes never leaving Jongin’s burning with words he’s too slow to decipher.

“You should go back home now,” Kyungsoo tells him quietly, the words sounding weak in his mouth.

Jongin cocks his head. “I am home.”

Kyungsoo’s face lights up, eyebrows pulling up along with a gorgeous smile following, and Jongin feels something squeezing his heart as he returns the same expression before Kyungsoo is smashing his lips to Jongin’s.

There’s no urgency in this kiss like their last. Kyungsoo takes his sweet time moving his lips against Jongin’s, as relearning every dip and swell. Jongin melts as Kyungsoo slips in a tongue, and he lets out a needy moan. His right hand searches for Kyungsoo’s while his left tightens his grip on Kyungsoo’s hip. His fingers dip into the inside of his trousers, loving how Kyungsoo smiles into their kiss when he can feel Jongin’s bare hand on his hip.

Jongin unravels as Kyungsoo grinds his waist down, unbelievable heat scorching his body, stopping to pool below his stomach. He kisses Kyungsoo’s with fervor, needing to show Kyungsoo how much he wants this. Dear god, he wants this. He tugs off Kyungsoo’s big white shirt that was already slipping off his shoulder revealing smooth skin. It’s then that Jongin realizes, he isn’t wearing a shirt at all. He shivers as Kyungsoo trails his hand over his body, dusting over a pink scar, where Jongin is sure a grendel had cut him open.

“How?” Jongin asks between a languid kiss.

Kyungsoo moves his lips to Jongin’s jaw, sliding down the column of his neck. “Remember I was working on a top secret potion?” Kyungsoo tells him, stopping to settle himself on top of Jongin, sitting just below his groin. “It was an illegal elixir with the power to heal anything. And you,” Kyungsoo takes a deep inhale, “you weren’t going to make it.” He lets the silence fill in the words.

“You saved me,” Jongin tells him, but it dawns on him. “I thought you said one of the reasons the elixir was illegal because of the faery blood…” Kyungsoo lets go of Jongin’s hand and showing him a white thin line. Jongin gapes at it, before reaching out to draw Kyungsoo’s palm to his lips. “Thank you,” Jongin mutters into Kyungsoo’s skin.

Kyungsoo pulls his hand back only to wrap both of his arms around Jongin’s neck, face nuzzling into his shoulder, “How could your mother live without you, your friends. And more importantly, how could I live without you. I love you.” Kyungsoo’s wings wrap around Jongin’s body, and he gasps in realization as a silver veil encases their body. Jongin tingles all over, listening to Kyungsoo whisper ‘I love you’ over and over again, and he whispers back.

The words settle deep into Jongin’s bones, and every single cell dedicates itself to Kyungsoo. It is an experience where Jongin feels at home, loved, and desired. It wasn’t just Kyungsoo showing how much he loves him; it was Kyungsoo claiming Jongin as his in the only way a faery can do. It is magic, how their souls joined together making a vibrant blue light.

When the veil disappears, souls back in place but not without having a sense for the other’s, Kyungsoo is red in the face, embarrassment flushing down his chest. “I-I wasn’t… I should’ve asked permission, even though you said before, but I just wanted… to make you mine before something disastrous happens, and now I can know when you are hurting and vice versa and-”

Jongin presses a kiss to Kyungsoo’s cheek. “Of course, I want to be yours.” Kyungsoo smiles gently at that. “But Kyungsoo, I won’t live forever, not as long as you will. It will feel like a few years before I’m old and wrinkly.”

“Of course, we realized that you idiot. We are smarter than every single of your kind.” Baekhyun’s obnoxious voice fills the room before his body even steps foot inside. He smirks at the two, winking knowing what they have been doing. Kyungsoo glares as Jongin groans.

“How long have you been there?” Jongin asks.

“Long enough that I puked three times.”

“Not long enough to choke on your own mucus,” Kyungsoo mumbles darkly.

Baekhyun gives a sickeningly sweet grin to Kyungsoo, “Now how about we talk about Aevitas Elixir. Since you’re already part faery, it’ll be a much easier transformation than full on human.”

Jongin raises an eyebrow at Kyungsoo glancing from Baekhyun and back. “What?”

Kyungsoo sighs. “You ruin everything Baekhyun, I was just about to easily explain it until you barged in here.” Baekhyun opens his mouth to protest, but Kyungsoo silences him and turns to Jongin. “When the potion went into your bloodstream, my blood mixed with yours altering some of your chemical compounds.” Jongin blinks. “In other words, you have a bit of faery in you, but not enough that you can live as long as us.

“While you were unconscious, I went searching for something to explain why you had changed after you received faery blood in your system. That’s when I found a book about King Arthur. He lived up to 300 years, reigning. That’s far beyond the normal life span of a human. I fou-” Baekhyun coughs expectantly. “Baekhyun and I found the Aevitas Elixir. It’s a potion that can turn you into a faery.”

“The only problem is,” Baekhyun warily looks at Jongin, “the main component for the elixir is a fruit only found growing in the Unseelie Court.”

The news is brought with the silence. Jongin frowns confused. “The Unseelie Court? To the people that sent those creatures to destroy this place?” Jongin waits for a contradiction. Kyungsoo only presses his lips together and Baekhyun looks away. “There isn’t another way?”

“There’s only one tree that bears the fruit that we need. It was created before the Court split, and the when it came to compromise the Unseelie requested to keep it since it was technically made by an Unseelie, and the Seelie, unknowing of the tree’s power, let them take it.” Kyungsoo grabs Jongin’s hand, fingers squeezing it. “It’s the only way, that is if you want to become a faery.”

Jongin notices the fear in Kyungsoo’s face. “If it means being with you forever than I’m willing to take that chance.” A brilliant heart-shaped smile is returned. Jongin kisses the tip of Kyungsoo’s nose. Baekhyun makes a choking sound, making Kyungsoo smack him in the chest. Baekhyun laughs in response.

“I guess that means we need to start preparing to cross over to the enemy's territory. I’ll get Chanyeol and Jongdae to help.” Baekhyun dusts himself off. “Time to kick some pixie’s butt. Those twinks are going to feel the wrath of Baekhyun after destroying his future award-winning pumpkin.”

“Hey, twinkle toes, you’re a twink too!” Jongin shouts him as Baekhyun closes the door behind him then turns back to Kyungsoo, happy to have him all to himself again. Kyungsoo shakes his head at his antics then swallowing away the childishness becoming serious.

“This mission, it’s not easy. There’s a possibility we could get caught and die, and if the Unseelie find out they have the King, I don’t know what they will do. Just promise me you’ll follow and trust me.” Kyungsoo’s gaze shakes and his voice slightly quivers.

“Of course, I will until I die.” Jongin promises. words ghosting over Kyungsoo’s chin. He leans closer when a draft of air sends chills down his spine. He looks around and notices the wind open curtains swaying with breeze. “By the way, where are we? I’ve never seen this room before.” Jongin assumes it must be in the castle somewhere because the crest of the Seelie court was sown into the hanging embroidery.

“I had the room prepared for you. I thought your other one was too small, and mine was too big. So, I thought we’d be running around the castle going to one another’s room anyways, so I made it easier.” Kyungsoo lays back onto the pillow, tugging Jongin with him, wrapping one another’s arms around each other. Jongin closes his eyes, feeling tired despite just waking up after an extremely long nap.

He still feels like this has all been a dream and he should be waking up with some concussion to his head and a leering Namjoon over him ready to knock him back out. A surreal dream brought by the soft press of Kyungsoo’s lips, a lullaby drawn out by Kyungsoo’s moans when Jongin sucks on the sensitive spot on his neck as his hands roam down Kyungsoo’s bare abdomen. He’s not sure what the morning will bring him, but he’s made it this far and Kyungsoo once told him, if it’s meant to be, they’ll always find their way back together, where they belong.

 

 

_**The End** _

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_**Epilogue** _

Baekhyun grins softly at the picture painted in front of him. His fingers are resting lightly on his side empty and slightly clenching as he stares at the picture-perfect family before him. Something soft and warm presses into his palm, and Baekhyun looks up to the see the feline curling grin he’s so fond of seeing being aimed at him. Jongdae’s fingers slip through his briefly curling and squeezing as if saying he’s not alone.

Baekhyun likes to believe he isn’t. But he is.

Kyungsoo cradles his just bloomed seedling and his eyes are entranced with the little chubby hands that reach out for his father. Jongin laughs as he dangles his fingers in front of his child’s face. His eyes curl up, cheeks bunching in happiness when his son lets out a high-pitched giggle of glee squirming in its wrappings. The flower crown that was blessed on its forehead, braided by the tribe of female elves in the east, falls off, and Baekhyun stretches out and catches it by the tips of his fingers.

Kyungsoo holds his son up, and the cloth it was swaddled in slips onto Kyungsoo’s lap. Baekhyun gets onto one knee in respect even though he knows Kyungsoo hates it when he does things like this that indicates to his royal status, but Baekhyun can’t help himself. His son’s wings, small and albeit silver like his father’s, flutter rapidly. The sound reminds Baekhyun’s of a humming bird’s.

The cut stone flooring digs into Baekhyun’s kneecaps, but he ignores it in favor to stare into the big, curious gaze that suddenly seizes Baekhyun up. Cautiously, he places the flower crown over the black wisps of hair on his head and smoothing the strands before using his index finger to tickle under the seedling’s chin. Jongin smiles fondly when the little ‘baby’ as he calls it in human terms, shrieks with laughter.

Baekhyun grins widely. “Little Hummingbird,” he muses as the tiny faery blinks at him with warm brown irises reflecting Baekhyun’s soft smile. Jongin’s eyes. Scooting back, Jongin moves to sweep his son out of Kyungsoo’s arms and pretends to soar him through the air. He tries to ignore the tightening in his chest when he glances back to his best friend, the King, laugh alongside his son’s as Jongin spins around elegantly.

He shouldn’t be jealous, but his fingers itch to be entwined with solidarity and thrum with promises of forever. He felt the same feeling shortly after Kyungsoo and Jongin had a sealed partnership in the Lake of the Eternal with the golden glow of their promise swimming in the sparkling water. Despite them already committing earlier after the battle, they made it formal and official in front of family and friends.

They were so happy, and Baekhyun couldn’t find it in himself to hold onto that feeling and let himself be carried away with joyful atmosphere. Yet when he returned back to his hollow of a tree and curled up on the floor pulling all his blankets over his body. Jongdae and Chanyeol didn’t visit that week.

Baekhyun peers over the book Kyungsoo is writing, looking over the listed ingredients and scratched out directions before turning to glance at his friend. “I think it looks alright.”

Kyungsoo’s shoulders ease and scratches at his neck. “You think it will work?”

Baekhyun shrugs and nods. “You know I don’t know much about the science of potions as you do, but it’s worth a shot. These ingredients, I haven’t seen them all together in one combination, but I know separately in different combos, they work great. Try it, Soo. I don’t know why you always doubtful when it comes to making your own potions. You’re the best in the whole country, have more confidence in yourself. Besides, the worst that could happen is you turn me purple again.” He winks, darting out of the way before Kyungsoo can toss a wooden spoon at his head.

When Baekhyun peaks out of the pantry, Kyungsoo is rolling his eyes at him with an obvious amused tilt of his lips. “So, are we going to start testing out this theory?” Baekhyun asks and strolls back into the room when he notices the spoon is far from Kyungsoo’s reach.

“I suppose so. I want to start before Jongin gets back from taking Sehun out for a walk so I can put him down for a nap,” Kyungsoo tells Baekhyun.

“Who? Sehun or Jongin?” Baekhyun teases and starts picking out jars with the same label that matches the ingredients listed on the open potions book.

Kyungsoo snorts and gets out a cutting board and knife. “Jongin will whine if he hears you.”

“You realize you are raising two children,” Baekhyun places the jars on the table, then turns back around to start a fire under the cauldron in the fireplace already hanging by its hook with spark rocks. He doesn’t have to turn around to know Kyungsoo has a smile on his face. Decades spent with Kyungsoo and seeing the past five years with Jongin by his side, he knows his friend is completely taken with the human.

At first, he didn’t quite understand it, but he knew that look of admiration and love that would always appear in Jongin’s eyes when looking or talking about Kyungsoo even before they got together. Baekhyun has always believed in fate and knew it was fate that brought Jongin stumbling into Lyberium without an actual clue about where he was.

He never expected Kyungsoo to be the one partnered before him, always taking him for too picky and a stickler when it came to romance, but Kyungsoo is soft when it came to the human. The biggest surprise was that Minseok and Luhan were the first one to be partnered soon after the battle with the grendels. Baekhyun never thought he’d see the day since they spent years pining after each other.

“I actually wanted to talk to you about that,” Kyungsoo says, brows concentrated together as he begins chopping the goblin ears into tiny bits.

Baekhyun raises his eyebrow. “If you’re asking me to raise Jongin, that’s a dead no.”

Kyungsoo sucks in a deep breath startling Baekhyun. He sets down his knife, his wings pulling taunt to his shoulders. “Not about that, but it’s about Jongin. I don’t want to explain it all, but I would like it if you could meet with Jongdae, Chanyeol and I tomorrow night in the West wing tower in the where Jongdae likes to do his astronomy mapping at.”

 _Ah_ , Baekhyun thinks, inhaling sharply. Part of him wants to decline, but he’d do anything for Kyungsoo. He finds himself agreeing and Kyungsoo smiles gently before focusing on their potion.

It’s not that Baekhyun doesn’t see Jongdae and Chanyeol often because he does. It’s just that… life got in the way. And now they all have words to say that’s been building for years, but Baekhyun refuses to be the first one to say it. He will avoid it all costs because the words he will likely hear in return will just cause him more pain. He’d rather be miserable because of himself then letting them, his closest friends, finalize the dividing cracks in their relationship.

All was fine after they defeated the grendels. Baekhyun spent his days with researching Aevitas Elixir, a potion to turn Jongin into a faery, or lounging around and pranking some of the guards typically with either Chanyeol or Jongdae snickering by his side. Yet, time sped up and… life got in the way.

Chanyeol eventually moved back to their town because his sister needed help taking care of the family business. Baekhyun would send letters to him, but would keep his legs propped up on a table somewhere in the castle. Then Jongdae became presumably busy with guarding only the goddess knows what despite all threats being decimated. Baekhyun only began to realize after asking Tao why Jongdae is suddenly busy and working more often, and Tao had laughed. He proceeded to tell him Jongdae was doing his normal job, but often traveling back to their town on his days off.

Yes, that’s when life got in the way. When Baekhyun wasn’t a part of it.

Baekhyun forced himself to be busy after that. He orchestrated the whole partnership ceremony for Kyungsoo and Jongin making sure it was just as lavish and beautiful as their love deserved because Baekhyun witnessed it all. Yet when the stress of it all was wedged off Baekhyun’s shoulders, with a hug from the couple and whispers of praise and gratitude, had left Baekhyun feeling emptier than he should feel.  

From then he began to take upon himself different projects to keep his mind from Jongdae and Chanyeol’s questions about why he’s always too busy to hang out with them. He traveled over the country with the sun beating his back as he helped bring sunshine to poorer fields and spent a couple of weeks at the Eastland Lagoon with the mermaids and indulging in their gossiping tendencies. It worked.

Baekhyun came back to the castle to be told the news of the producing of Kyungsoo and Jongin’s seedling. In return, he started a new project redesigning the landscape of the garden which has become a reminder to them all about the battle and the loss of their fae brothers and sisters.

Now, Baekhyun places his head on his knees, nursing sparkling nectar that sends a pleasant buzz down his spine. He stares at the sun as it slides down the sky and hides until the next day. His eyes sting from the contact of the sun but he can’t be blinded when part of the sun is in him. It always made him ponder. If he is the sun and the sun is a symbol for happiness, then why does Baekhyun feel sad?

He hums around the petals of his flower cup, sucking in the bitter taste of the petal and letting it sit on his tongue. There are few ways to avoid meeting Jongdae and Chanyeol tonight. He’s used about every excuse he can think of. Kyungsoo is counting on him, though, and if there is one thing Baekhyun does have if it is not happiness, it is loyalty towards the King.

Baekhyun waits until the moon has risen and is curving in the sky to start heading for the tower. He walks down the familiar halls humming softly to himself. When he reaches the steps to the spiraling staircase that leads to the top of the west wing tower, he debates just flying up there like any normal and lazy faery. Yet Baekhyun wants to prolong this meeting as long as he can and takes the stairs step by step facing his ascension with apprehension.

When he was younger, he used to count how many cobblestones it would take to reach his home. He’s sure if he had grown up in the castle, his younger self would climb each staircase and count how many steps it would take to reach the top. Then when he reached it, he would be distracted by the view and would have to climb down to count again because he forgot.

Instead of counting, he pushes himself further and ignores the slight burn in his calves. He pushes the thought of trading the pain to just be over with flying away because, really, he doesn’t want to face Jongdae just yet. See Chanyeol’s welcoming smile and notice the way their eyes will linger on him in a question.

He focuses on wondering why exactly Kyungsoo decides to call a meeting in such an odd location. Normally, they would just meet in his office at the library to avoid ears of the servants, not minding that Joonmyun, the scholar that hides out in the library, could eavesdrop. Joonmyun was one of the most trustful people in all of Lyberium. If Baekhyun ever has to ever commit a crime but needs to talk to someone about it, he would trust Joonmyun. Partially because the scholar doesn’t care about idle everyday life situations, and he knows thousands of secrets about the castle that he has learned through the books in library and won’t even hint at a single one, even to the King.

Finally, Baekhyun reaches the top and his ears twitch when he hears the familiar low baritone of Chanyeol’s voice talking. A smile is automatically brought to his face out of habit and his hand squeezes the handle. When he realizes what he is doing, he backs away quickly, a bit shocked. He’s not ready.

Grasping the handle again, the faery turns the knob pushing open the door when he hears the click. Three heads turn to look at him, small smiles being brought to their faces. Baekhyun forces his eyes away from straining too long on the softs curves of Chanyeol’s cheeks or the curl of Jongdae’s lips.

The room is as disorganized as any room that’s been filled with Jongdae’s presence too long. Books are haphazardly stacked on ledges of benches and on the ground. A glass telescope is propped in front of one of the balcony windows with white curtains swaying with the light breeze blowing in. There’s a table with a bunch of papers strewn across it, probably Jongdae’s mappings of constellations.

He meets Kyungsoo’s eyes questioningly. “Where’s Jongin?”

Kyungsoo drops his gaze away and flushes. _Odd_ , Baekhyun thinks. He’s hiding something. “He’s with Tao. I told him I would be in a late meeting with a few farmers that are concerned about the lowering price of fruits.”

Baekhyun frowns. “I see no farmers.”

Kyungsoo nods not minding the obvious statement. “I know.”  He gestures to the table behind him and they all move to stand by it. Pushed aside where Jongdae’s maps and notes are and laying in the middle is a map of not the sky, but their world. It shows their island borders and the other scattering islands near them where other creatures mainly inhabit. Like the dwarves who like having their own domain, and Baekhyun swears there is an island where unicorns run freely across the hills although it is just a mystery.

Baekhyun’s frown deepens when he notices a star drawn on the one place he was told the sun doesn’t touch: Unseelie Court.

Kyungsoo measures each of their expression before explaining, “Remember after we fought with the grendels, we had said we were going to travel to find the ingredient for Aevitas Elixir that can only be found here?” He voices the tale to all of them but leads the question to Baekhyun.

“Of course. I researched on end to see if there was another way, but the one fruit we need can only be found there.” Baekhyun says and feels Jongdae’s piercing gaze on him. “Not even a substitution will equate to it. It won’t work. There’s no power to it.”

“Exactly. And well, we never got around to it because we all had our own duties at the time, and now…” Kyungsoo’s lip quivers, “Jongin isn’t like what he used to be. I’m not sure if it’s being stuck here in this world for so long or the potion I gave to him to save him with my blood in it, but he’s f-fading.” His voice cracks and water is starting to brim to his eyes.

Baekhyun watches in horror because Kyungsoo never cries. He has cried in happiness, but the last time he cried it was because he was _breaking_ because Jongin was thought to be on the brink of death. Jongdae, much better with comforting than Baekhyun, acts faster than his limbs and presses a soothing palm to Kyungsoo’s back. His hand moves in circling motions.

Baekhyun turns away. “You need us to get it.”

“I-” Kyungsoo chokes in surprise, his eyes wide.

“I’m in.” Baekhyun immediately says. He can’t see Kyungsoo break. He’s always been the stronger one out of the both of them, and seeing him be in so much pain, hurts Baekhyun more than his own personal suffering. And Jongin… Well, he’s come to be very fond of the human, treating him as his younger brother that he never had. He can’t forget Sehun too. Sehun shouldn’t grow up missing the presence of one of his parent’s because Baekhyun was scared to risk his own life.

He can’t imagine what kind of shell of Kyungsoo would be left if Jongin died. He’s sure that if Jongin passed, Sehun would be the only thing tethering Kyungsoo to life. So, he agrees. He needs adventure, to experience something more than just drawing sun to touch the corners it can’t reach.

“Baekhyun-” Jongdae’s voice is laced with concern and warning. “This is- It’s the Unseelie Court. If they catch us, they will kill us.”

“I know.” Baekhyun doesn’t stare at him and fingers at the star where he traces across their border where a river separates them right down the middle; a solitary island split ride with the deep river Merlin called forth to end the war and finalize the results. “I know what it means, but I don’t want to see Jongin die. I’ve always been good and blending in and adapting. They aren’t going to catch me. I can do it.”

“Not alone,” Chanyeol suddenly speaks up and this time Baekhyun does look up and sees no doubt in his eyes. “I’m going with you. I said before that I would be willing to go.”

Jongdae gapes at his two friends that are having a stare off before he gives an exasperated sigh. “I can’t believe this I’m doing this.” Baekhyun cocks his head in question.

“Are you serious about this?” Kyungsoo barely whispers, voice timid to raise in volume and get his hopes up.

Jongdae glances at the faeries beside him and nods, “We’ll go.” Then with a quick thought, “But if I die, I will become a part of the wind and blow harshly against your windows so that way you can’t sleep!”

Kyungsoo pulls them into a rare hug, silent tears leaking down his face. Happiness.

Kyungsoo takes Baekhyun aside after Jongdae and Chanyeol retire to bed in their own rooms that are reserved for whenever they are at the castle. “Baekhyun, I have to warn you to be careful. You are the one who can open the gate to the court. Jongdae and Chanyeol can’t, so- just stick with them. You are the _key_.”

“Don’t worry. He’ll live.” Baekhyun convinces the both of them. He hugs Kyungsoo once more because he’s not sure when he will get to do it or if ever again. Kyungsoo wraps his arms around Baekhyun’s waist and lets himself be held onto tightly. Baekhyun doesn’t notice the meaning behind the weight Kyungsoo chooses his words and mistakes it for concern for his childhood friend.

He is the _key_.

  


**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea for a couple of years and I spent countless of nights trying to spin the images in my head to a word document, but somehow I did it AND reached my goal of 50k. This is my baby that would find ways to surprise me with ways I could connect the dots or bring a life that people can escape to (I talk as if it alive). It's alive in my heart lol. I'm literally about to cry as I post this because it was a long process of giving up and always returning.
> 
> To conclude, I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it!


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